What Price Vengeance
by babywhale512
Summary: Nerissa is back and looking for revenge on the Guardians...in particular Irma. Sequel to What Price Loyalty. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my friends and welcome to What Price Vengeance. This is a sequel to What Price Loyalty, and as such will refer to that story from time to time. It is strongly recommended that you read What Price Loyalty before you read What Price Vengeance, but it is up to you. Now without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 1**

Elyon was ill; sicker than she'd ever been in her whole life. The last few nights had been marked by cold sweats and sleeplessness. Nightmares plagued her dreams, while her body was wracked with pain and tremors.

Elyon's constant nursemaid, Trill, did everything she could to help alleviate the queen's discomfort; but her efforts seemed to be in vain. In spite of Trill's best efforts, the young ruler shivered uncontrollably and moaned in her sleep.

The servant wrung her hands nervously as she watched her leader suffer. What could she do to help?

Without warning, Elyon suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes wide with terror. Grabbing Trill's meaty hand, the young queen screamed.

"Cornelia...no!"

Trill opened and closed her mouth helplessly. Elyon had been having the same nightmare over and over for the last several nights. Cornelia at the mercy of Gargoyle, her back being shattered into pieces. Of course, according to Elyon, this event had actually transpired not but a few weeks ago. Gargoyle had, indeed, broken the Earth Guardian's back during a recent battle, and Trill knew Elyon was reliving that frightening occurrence.

Needing to do something, Trill sat down on Elyon's bed and grabbed the young queen in a tight, comforting embrace.

"It's okay, your Highness...everything is fine now. Your friend is not hurt. Please, you must wake up."

"Wha-what?" Elyon, breathing hard, looked around the room before finally focusing on her nursemaid. "Trill...what's going on? What's happening?"

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Trill quietly tried to explain. "You are very sick, your Highness; you have been delirious for days. Our best physicians have been unable to help you, though they are continuing to try."

Elyon narrowed her beautiful eyes in confusion. "Sick? I've been sick? I don't remember getting sick"

Trill patted her back gently. "I believe it to be the nature of the illness, your Highness. You ask the same questions every night; it is as if this sickness steals your memory."

"How long have I been like this?"

"For two weeks, my queen."

"Two weeks?!" Elyon's eyes went wide.

Trill nodded. She broke away from her leader and looked deep into her blue eyes. "Everyone is so worried for you. We must find a way to cure this scourge."

Elyon furrowed her brow. "What are my symptoms?"

"You have a very high fever, chills, delirium, memory loss...this sickness saps your very strength to live. And not only that, but it seems to be weakening your kingdom at the same time."

Elyon gasped. "Meridian is affected by this?"

"All of Meridian is affected when its queen is so afflicted," Trill answered somberly. Her eyes appraised the weary girl before her. The brown orbs landed on the jewel Elyon wore about her neck.

"My queen," Trill gasped suddenly, "look!"

Elyon dropped her eyes to where Trill pointed. Beneath the Heart of Meridian, a large red spot had appeared on the young royal's chest.

Trill gently lifted the incandescent jewel and looked closely at the inflamed area.

"It is all red and blistered," she breathed. "And the jewel is warm to the touch."

Elyon's mouth opened then closed. She met Trill's eyes, asking a silent question. Trill only shook her head.

"I received this jewel from your mother long ago. She never told me where it came from."

Elyon opened her mouth to reply, but instead she swooned. Her head began to spin and she collapsed to the pillow with a moan.

"Queen Elyon!" Trill cried.

Elyon's only response was a deep groan.

Near tears, Trill began to plead with Elyon. "Please, Highness, you must not pass out again. Meridian needs its ruler."

Elyon's head, wracked with torment and pain, focused on nothing. She fought for control that was quickly slipping away. Just as she was about to abandon herself to oblivion, her battered mind finally set hold on something tangible...Cornelia. She had to get Cornelia.

Beyond delirious, Elyon began to murmer. "Guardians...must...summon Guardians."

Trill let out a soft cry. "But my queen, I cannot summon the Guardians. Only the Heart of Meridian can do that."

Elyon weakly tore the jewel from her neck and held it out to her friend. "Summon...Guardians."

"No, my queen, you cannot ask me to-"

"Take...take it. Help...help..." As Trill's fingers closed around the beautiful jewel, Elyon moaned again and passed out.

Trill watched as Elyon drifted into unconsciousness...and then she smiled. Laughing softly, her form began to change. The large body morphed into something more slender, the skin into something leathery and wrinkled. Her height extended, and her hair became gray dull. Nerissa, evil sorceress of Meridian, stood in the kindly servant's place.

"I'll be more than happy to take this little trinket, my pet," Nerissa said derisively. "But I won't be using it to summon the Guardians, nor to purge your body of my poisons. Lie here and meet your end, Queen of Meridian."

The evil hag gripped the Heart of Meridian tightly and her smile widened. "You tried to bury me alive and leave me to suffocate to death. You should have finished the job yourself; then perhaps you would have been spared this suffering."

Nerissa sat down on the bed next to the unconscious Queen. Laying her hand on Elyon's cheek, the sorceress nearly purred. "Look at you...so weak, so helpless. I could snuff out your life with a flick of my hand. But I shall let my poisons do it for me. A slow, agonizing death is what you deserve...and so you shall have it. But your suffering shall be nothing compared to the Guardians' suffering. I shall utterly devastate them before I grant them the sweet release of death."

The evil woman stood then and tied the Heart of Meridian around her neck. Turning her back on the dying queen, Nerissa created a fold.

"Now Guardians, to business. You will all suffer; but none more so than the Water Guardian. She shall be my catalyst for vengeance. She shall destroy you all!"

With a chilling laugh, the sorceress strode through the fold...to Earth.

--

Luba watched over the Aurameres. As their Caretaker, it was her responsibility to safeguard the source of the Guardians' power. It was a duty she took very seriously.

Not a woman prone to laughter or sarcasm, Luba would best be described as stoic and sober. Often grim and severe, few could say they had ever seen her in a different light. But one young woman knew another side of the Caretaker; one that was gentle and caring. The big cat closed her luminescent blue eyes and allowed her thoughts to drift to the Water Guardian.

She wondered how the young woman was recovering after her horrific ordeal at the hands of Nerissa and the Knights of Vengeance. Physically, she knew the Guardian had recovered...but it was her mental state that worried the cat-woman. She knew no one could possibly endure such awful circumstances without being emotionally scarred...Luba only prayed those scars would not be permanent.

Her musings were interrupted by the opening of the chamber doors. Althor strode into the Chamber of the Aurameres and stood before the six-foot cat.

"Luba, you have been summoned before the Council."

Luba's eyes narrowed. "What is this, Althor?"

The dwarf shrugged. "Only the Oracle knows...I'm just the messenger."

The cat nodded and followed the little man from the Chamber. As they strode through the corridors of Candracar, Luba wondered why the Council had convened...and why she seemed to be on the agenda.

Althor had to run to keep up with the Caretaker's lengthy strides. He found himself wondering much the same things as Luba. The Oracle had given no evidence of what was going on, and Althor found himself more than a little curious. He remembered the last time the Council had gathered in an official capacity. It was nearly two years ago when the Guardians of the Veil had been selected, and Althor had been present then.

But somehow the dwarf didn't think this was something so benevolent in nature. There seemed to be an ominous feeling to this meeting...something the little man was not accustomed to from the Oracle.

Arriving at the Council Chamber, Luba threw the doors open. Gorgeous pink light flooded the doorway, it's rays reflecting off the huge crystal chandelier that dominated the vaulted ceiling. Four pearl-white columns flanked the glorious room, extending all the way to the ceiling. A large golden star marked the floor in the middle of the Chamber. At one end, Halinor, Tibor, and the Oracle sat calmly in their white seats. Althor crossed the Chamber to join them.

Luba entered and came to a stop at the center of the golden star. Somehow she knew she wasn't to join the others.

The Oracle stood and addressed the Council.

"My friends, thank you all for coming. I shall come right to the point. It is with heavy heart that I have summoned you here this day."

He turned to Luba and looked at the cat somberly. "Luba, you have committed a grave offense. You allowed your personal feelings to cloud your judgment and because you did so, three innocent people nearly lost their lives."

Luba began to see where this was going...but she remained silent.

"Instead of summoning me, you enlisted Halinor and the Water Guardian to battle Nerissa in the Chamber of Air. Yan Lin was in great distress and she needed immediate assistance; but you chose to endanger her further by allowing your personal feelings to dictate your actions."

Luba held her breath but still said nothing.

"The proper course of action was to summon me to deal with Nerissa and to free Yan Lin from her deadly prison. But because of your personal feelings towards me at that moment, you chose instead to put the lives of three people at risk."

Luba met Halinor's eyes...and the latter looked away quickly. Althor stared open-mouthed at the Oracle. Tibor held Luba's gaze intently.

The Oracle took a deep breath and paused. After what seemed like several minutes, he finally spoke. "Because of this, it is my feeling that you be banished from Candracar and dismissed from this Council."

Althor gasped and stood up quickly. "Oracle, no!"

"Quiet, Althor," Tibor warned.

"No, Tibor, let him speak," the Oracle said gently.

Althor clenched his fists. "Never has anyone been banished from Candracar. There is no precedent for this kind of action."

"And yet Luba's actions necessitate the Oracle's actions," Tibor said.

"Perhaps it does necessitate action, but why something so harsh?" Althor argued.

"Do you not believe that killing innocent people is a serious offense?"

"Tibor, I never said-"

"Enough both of you," Halinor stood up. "If anyone should have a say in this, it's me. Not only was I nearly killed in that battle, but Irma as well. I believe some discipline is in order."

Now Halinor met Luba's gaze and held it defiantly. Luba narrowed her eyes. She had never seen a vengeful side of Halinor.

"Luba should have summoned the Oracle for help, not me and not Irma. As a former Guardian, my powers of telepathy are limited and were no use in contacting Hay Lin. As the Water Guardian, Irma's powers were of absolutely _no_ use in the Chamber of Air. Water cannot fight Air. Because of Luba's pride, Yan Lin, Irma, and I were nearly killed. Had the Oracle not intervened when he did, I would not be standing here addressing this Council today."

Althor swallowed hard at the passion in Halinor's voice. He understood her anger, but he still could not see dismissing Luba from the Council. He resumed his seat, seething quietly.

"Let us vote then," the Oracle suggested. "Tibor?"

"I vote yes," the big man rumbled.

"Halinor?"

"Yes."

"Althor?"

The dwarf looked at the Oracle defiantly. "No."

"And my vote is yes," the Oracle completed. "As we are a majority, Luba, you are to be removed from the Council of Candracar forthwith. You will retain your duties as Caretaker of the Aurameres until a suitable replacement can be found. When such a person is located, you will be banished from Candracar, never to return."

Luba narrowed her eyes and curled her lip. "Is this your final decision then?"

The Oracle nodded. "It is, my friend."

"Do not call me friend, Oracle. My _friend_ would never banish me from my duties, much less my home."

"Luba-"

"Do not speak to me, Tibor," Luba growled. Then she turned to Halinor.

"As for you...vengeance is not your way. Why do you do this?"

Halinor raised her chin. "Because I have grown to love Irma very much like a daughter. You risking my life I can overlook, but not Irma's. She died at the hands of Nerissa and her cruel Knights. Had Will not been there, Irma would have remained dead. In spite of Will's efforts, Irma would have died anyway if not for the Joining; a necessary but brutal way to save a Guardian's life. Playing with that fragile life like you did...it is unacceptable."

Luba was taken aback by Halinor's words. She had never thought of that way. In fact, she didn't even have a response. With one final look of disdain for her former friends, the cat turned on her heel and strode out of the Chamber...perhaps for the final time.

**Thank you everyone for reading. I would like to thank Visigoth for editing this piece; he is remarkable. I would also like to thank all my readers of What Price Loyalty for encouraging a sequel. This is for you. Thanks again, and please leave a review if you feel so inclined.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Whale Pitters. Welcome to chapter 2 of What Price Vengeance. Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1: crowofdawn, mallratrebel, shocklance, lily312, zestychicken2, allpowerfulnerd, xv-dragon, lost prince, ice silver crystal, krystal of nol, thepink1, sokai, daydreamer9, and nemrut. I appreciate all the PM's I've received as well. Thank you all so much for your support; it is for you that I write this. **

**I must thank my editor again as well. Visigoth, my humble thanks for all your efforts and for putting up with me. **

**Now without further commentary, may I present: **

**Chapter 2**

Heatherfield was a quiet city with a reputation for being safe and clean. The people were generally nice folks who went through their days with cheerful smiles and friendly words. After nine PM, there wasn't much to do in the tranquil town...except babysit your younger brother while your parents attended the annual Policeman's Ball.

This night, Irma Lair was stuck doing just that...and she was none too happy about it. Chris Lair was a constant thorn in Irma's side; the annoying little mutant of Heatherfield, as she called him. Constantly testing his big sister's patience was his game of choice, and he played that game very well.

Anna Lair put on her coat and turned to her only daughter. "Now remember, Irma, have Chris in bed by 9:00, and get your homework done. No parties and no friends tonight. Got it?"

Irma sighed. "Yes, Mom, I got it. In bed by nine, homework done, no friends. Should be the most fun I've ever had in my young life."

Anna's expression was stern. "Your grades have been slipping of late, young lady, and your father and I don't want to see you fail. Perhaps your friends have been taking up too much of your time. More attention to your schoolwork would be good for you."

Irma wanted to explode. Her mom was actually blaming her friends for her grades? If she only knew what the real problem was...she would definitely freak out. Which was one reason she could never know the truth.

If her mother knew that her young daughter had been subjected to heinous torture at the hands of an evil sorceress while in the service of the universe...she would likely pass out from the horror of it all. That would be nothing compared to her father's explosive reaction. As a Heatherfield police officer, Tom Lair believed in justice and hard work. The oppression of anyone was distasteful and unacceptable. If he were to find out what had happened, he would go ballistic.

And forbid his daughter to associate with W.I.T.C.H...ever again.

"You're being unfair to them, mom," Irma finally answered. "I live for those girls and they support me in all I do. I couldn't ask for better friends."

Anna gently took her daughter's chin in her hand. "I know you feel close to them; but have you considered they may not be the best influence on you?"

"And have you considered they may be the only reason I haven't completely flunked yet?"

"Irma," Tom sighed, "we're just concerned about you. Lately you've been different. You seem more withdrawn and it's worrying your mother and I. We have to consider the possibility that your friends may be causing this."

"Well consider all you want, but you're wrong," Irma answered quietly.

Anna rubbed her daughter's cheek. "Irma, we love you and want the best for you. Can't you understand that?"

"And can't you understand that these girls are the best thing that's ever happened to me? I mean look at them and then think what you're accusing them of. Taranee is a straight-A student, Hay Lin is gentle and kind, Will is shy, and Cornelia...OK, maybe Cornelia isn't the best example, but do you see where I'm gong with this? How can friends like this be a bad influence on me? Honestly, I'm more likely to be a bad influence on them than the other way around."

Tom Lair looked pensive. "You do make a good point, but we're still worried about you. Listen, we're going to be late, but I want to talk about this more later. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad, I understand," Irma sighed.

Tom nodded and hugged his daughter. "We'll see you tonight."

Anna hugged Irma. "Don't stay up too late," she smiled.

Irma nodded, but couldn't bring herself to hug her parents back. She just let them squeeze her a bit.

As the door closed and locked behind her parents, Irma sighed again. They could never understand; and why should they? The truth was she was having difficulty dealing with what had happened. The nightmares never seemed to end; she was afraid to sleep, afraid to be alone, and yet afraid to be around people at the same time.

Irma closed her eyes and remembered what she didn't want to remember. It was only the Guardians that had prevented her from succumbing to death at the hands of the Knights of Vengeance mere weeks ago. Had they not rescued her when they did...Irma shuddered at the thought.

She truly _did_ live for those girls; they were the only thing that had kept her going. Even so, Irma had been prepared to give up her life after seeing she was capable of murdering Raythor. But Nerissa had not granted her that release...instead she had prolonged Irma's suffering until the Guardian was nothing but a broken shell of a girl.

Her friends had been unwilling to allow Irma to languish, however, and had saved her life...in more ways than one.

Irma didn't want to think about those horrific events, but her mind refused to obey her silent wishes. She could still hear her own screams echoing in her head. She could still feel the lightning coursing through her body. She could still hear Frost taunting her and forcing her to beg for her life. The young Guardian began to shake uncontrollably.

As tears threatened to break their borders, Irma took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Now was not the time to have a nervous breakdown...not with Chris in the house. He would have a field day with it. As she struggled to control her tormented mind, her thoughts centered on Hay Lin. She had been Irma's rock and main confidante. As her sister in every way that counted, Hay Lin had been affected the most by Irma's descent into darkness.

The thought of her sister calmed Irma somewhat and allowed her mind to focus on something other than torture and blood. She longed for the days when her biggest concerns were passing math, or dodging Mrs. Knickerbocker in the halls. She swallowed hard and desperately wished for a sense of normalcy.

But inside she secretly knew normalcy was nothing more than a fantasy.

The young girl turned to her history homework. She couldn't believe Collins wanted to them to outline chapters four and five of the textbook. How boring could you get?

Somewhere in the background, Irma could hear the sounds of Chris' video game coming from his room. How many aliens was he going to have shoot to save the world this time? The irony was not lost on the young Guardian. She and her friends had saved the world countless times...and nobody knew. It had to be that way in order to preserve the girls' anonymity. Otherwise they would be seen as more freakish than any teenager already was.

Lost in her musings, she almost didn't hear the lock turn. She jumped at the sound and dropped her history textbook. Anna Lair walked purposefully through the door and closed it behind her.

"We forgot the tickets," she explained to her bemused daughter. Some of the previous horror must have remained in Irma's eyes, because her mother stopped short on her way to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, crossing the room quickly.

Irma tried to smile. "Nothing; I was just surprised to see you, that's all."

Anna sat down on the couch. "Don't lie to me, I'm not blind."

"Mom, I'm fine, really. Look, I'm doing my homework." She pointed the upside-down textbook on the floor. "All this stuff about the Restoration after the Civil War just has me a little cross-eyed."

Anna picked up the fallen textbook and laid it aside. "Irma, I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately and I want to know what's going on."

Irma swallowed. She couldn't tell her mother the truth. So she lied.

"I'm just having a lot of stress at school, mom. Finals are coming up in a few weeks, you know?"

Anna sighed. "Alright, but I'm going to to get to the bottom of this." She kissed her daughter on the cheek.

Irma felt an electric shock course through her body at that kiss. So strong was it that she actually fell off the couch. In shock and horror, she looked at her mother. She had felt that sensation before...and she knew this wasn't her mother.

"No, you can't be Nerissa; she's dead. She's dead!"

"Anna" stood up and towered over the terrified girl. Irma crab-walked away from her nemesis until her back hit the wall.

"Did you really think I had gone?" Nerissa purred. "Did you really think you could defeat me, Guardian? I am eternal, and I have come for vengeance."

Irma's face screwed into a mask of horror. She shook her head back and forth and whispered, "No, no, no."

"Your brother is here; I don't suggest you scream. If he finds me here I will kill him right in front of you. If you try to summon the other Guardians, I will kill him slowly just before I kill your friends."

Irma knew Nerissa would do it, so she struggled not to scream.

"I shall cast a deliciously sinister spell on you, Guardian. Your mind will be mine to toy with as I see fit. Your thoughts will be mine, your emotions will be mine, your ever mental aspect will be mine. I intend to rape your mind repeatedly, Guardian. You will be broken by the time I'm finished."

Tears began to flow down Irma's cheeks as the evil hag knelt in front of her.

"But I shall never be finished with you, little one. I love the smell of your desperation, the taste of your terror." Nerissa inhaled deeply and closed her eyes briefly. "Oh, it's so intoxicating."

"Please don't hurt me," Irma whispered, terrified. "I'll give you what you want, just please leave me alone."

Nerissa laughed mirthlessly. "Oh little Guardian...it is you I want. It is vengeance I crave now. You and your friends foiled me last time only because that little brat Elyon saved you; and because you refused to do my bidding for so long. You simply wouldn't break, and I found that most annoying. But you will break this time, Guardian. You will destroy your friends, and then I shall force you to live with the horrors of your deeds forever."

"No."

"Yes, Guardian, yes." Nerissa reached her hand towards Irma's face. Irma cried quietly, her fear holding her helpless against her foe. As the hand of her pseudo-mother came closer, the young teenager struggled not scream. She knew Nerissa would kill Chris, and much as she didn't like the little mutant, she certainly didn't want to see him dead.

Nerissa laid her hand against Irma's cheek and another electric bolt surged through the helpless girl. Irma collapsed in a heap, shaking violently.

"Velim caput tuurn devellere deinde in confinium gulae cacare," Nerissa intoned.

Irma could no longer help it. She opened her mouth to scream, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Rotaturne capitulum huius virus expuens viride," the evil hag continued.

The pain in Irma's head quickly became unbearable, but she was powerless to scream or move. She could barely breathe, as her chest began to constrict.

"Viculus nescioquis barone suo privatus est." the sorceress finished.

A final jolt of electricity shot through Irma's body as the spell was completed. The young Guardian broke into a cold sweat as her chest suddenly relaxed. She took great gulps of air and cried quietly.

Nerissa laughed at the helplessness of her prey and drug the girl to her feet. Throwing her onto the couch, the hag sneered at her victim.

"Let it begin then."

The sorceress crossed the room in two long strides and grabbed Irma's forehead. With a growl, Nerissa began to sort through her enemy's thoughts as if she was looking through a catalog. She focused on the Guardians and most especially Hay Lin. She centered on the most personal times between the two sisters, when Irma had felt the most vulnerable.

The teenager lay helpless against her attacker; something Nerissa was doing held her paralyzed. The young Guardian hated having another presence in her mind. She could feel the witch's filthy tendrils digging through her brain, and Irma felt dirty.

For an hour Nerissa held her enemy in a viselike grip and sorted through her damaged and pain-wracked mind. At last, the hag smiled evilly and stood up.

"That will do for starters, Guardian. I thank you for being so accommodating; you've been a most gracious hostess."

Irma laid on the couch, crying and shaking. "I'm going to tell my friends about this, and we're going to kick you around again...just like last time."

Nerissa laughed. "Oh, but you won't, dear heart, you won't. You see, in a few seconds I'll be gone and you won't remember a thing about this little encounter. You won't be able to tell the Guardians anything...ever."

Irma shook her head. "Please don't do this to me."

The evil sorceress sneered at her foe. "I've only just begun, Guardian. You thought it was bad last time? Just wait. You haven't seen anything yet."

Nerissa turned then and strode towards the door. Placing her hand around the knob, she turned to face her prey. "You will sleep now, Guardian. You won't wake again until morning."

With that, the evil witch turned the knob and disappeared through the open doorway.

Irma's eyes closed as she fell into dark oblivion.

**Poor Irma. Thanks everyone for reading. Please leave a review, should you feel so inclined. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back to the Whale Pit. I thank everyone for your reviews and for reading: XV-Dragon, Darev, Sportsman, Guardian of the Water, Lost Prince, Lily312, Invader Spyder, AJ, Starwin, Shocklance, DayDreamer9, CrowofDawn, Krystal of Nol, and Nerd4Eva. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart; please keep em coming. **

**I also thank Visigoth again for letting me bounce my ideas around and for talking me through some potential plot holes. Thank you so much, my dear friend.**

**Now, I have a warning for this chapter (would it be me otherwise?). Please read it and be aware.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains some disturbing material. It is not for children. Mind the rating, my friends. **

**Chapter 3**

She was swimming in a nightmare. Helpless and cold, she was powerless to wake from her endless torment. Pain wracked every part of her delicate body, as she shook uncontrollably. Perhaps this was what it felt like to die.

Elyon's clouded head could not focus on any tangible thoughts for very long. She had fleeting visions of faces she thought she should know, places she thought she had seen. Where was she? What was happening to her? Her tormented mind struggled to find a way out of the abyss.

--

The door opened and the Lairs entered their house. A lamp on the end table glowed brightly, welcoming them home. On the couch, the Lairs' only daughter slept soundly, her History textbook lying unopened on the lamp-lit end table. In the near distance, the sounds of Chris' video game could be heard.

Tom Lair shook his head. "That girl," he growled angrily. "We ask her to do one thing, _one thing_, and she can't handle it. I swear, I oughta-"

"Tom," Anna stopped the big police sergeant mid-sentence.

With another growl, Mr. Lair turned down the hall towards his son's room. "I'll go put Chris to bed, seeing as our daughter can't seem to handle that little chore."

Anna nodded and picked up her daughter's History book. It looked like it had never been opened; and judging from Irma's grades, it quite possibly hadn't.

Chris' cries of protest came from the hallway as Tom shooed him to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He stood sentry over his son and hustled him off to bed as soon as his teeth were clean. Then he returned to the living room and gazed at his sleeping daughter.

"Something has to be done, Anna. She needs to learn responsibility."

"She's only fourteen, Tom. When we were her age, were we much different?"

"My father would have tanned my backside for something like this. That kind of a threat tends to force someone into action. So I don't know about you, but I would have made sure to get my little brother in bed when I was told."

Anna gently stroked her daughter's auburn hair. "I'm worried about her. She's becoming more and more withdrawn, it seems. Her grades are slipping, and she spends all of her time locked in her bedroom. Something's going on, Tom; I can feel it."

Tom Lair pondered his wife's words as he placed his chin in his hand. "Tomorrow is Saturday; we'll force it out of her then. Right now, let me get her up to bed."

The big sergeant scooped his daughter's limp form off the couch and carried her to the stairs. "She's gonna hear about this, Anna. She needs to learn. Our efforts to be gentle have yielded no results. Perhaps it's time to be a little more forceful."

"I'll not have you beating that child," Anna exclaimed in shock.

"I'm not talking about abusing her," Tom shot back. "But she needs to learn how to be responsible. All I'm saying is maybe-"

"I know what you're saying. Let's just be sure that's _all_ you're saying."

Shaking his head, he proceeded up the stairs with his still-sleeping daughter.

Opening the bedroom door proved to be a bit challenging with his arms full of teenager, but Tom finally managed it.

The room was a mess.

Clothes strewn about the floor, CD's lying on the bed and the bed table. Tom sighed and began blazing a trail to the far end of the room. Finally arriving at his destination, he placed his daughter gently on her bed. Removing her shoes, he drew the blankets up to her chin and placed his hand on her forehead. She stirred slightly, but did not wake.

"What's the matter with you, girl?" Tom said to his sleeping daughter. "Is it your friends? Is it us? What has happened to you?"

His eyes flitted around the messy bedroom and a sudden thought struck him. Narrowing his eyes, he began to sort through the piles on the floor. He opened her bureau drawers and pawed through Irma's possessions. Next was her bed table, then her bathroom.

The bathtub was still filled with water.

With another sigh, the sergeant pulled the plug and watched as the water drained. What was he doing? His policeman's mind told him he was on the right track, but his father's mind told him it was impossible. Which one to listen to? Which one to obey?

Changes in attitude were a definite symptom, and yet being a teenager was also a good reason. Spending so much time in her bedroom would give her ample opportunity, but, again, being a teenager...

Tom stood up and made a difficult decision. He continued searching her room for the next half-hour, but did not find what he was looking for. Just as he was about to exit, Anna appeared in the doorway.

"I thought you were just putting Irma to bed," she whispered. "What's taking so long?"

"Anna," Tom began, closing the bedroom door behind him, "I think Irma may be hiding something from us. Something terrible."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

Taking a deep breath, the policeman plunged right in. "I think our daughter may be using drugs."

For a moment, Mrs. Lair couldn't decide if her husband was kidding. When his grave expression didn't change, she decided he was dead serious.

"Come to bed, Tom. We'll talk about it in the morning."

"Anna, this is serious. What if I'm right?"

"And what if you're not? This could well be just normal teenage brain damage."

"You don't believe that..."

Mrs. Lair closed her eyes briefly. "You're right, I don't. I know something is wrong, but I don't think she's on drugs."

"Well I've spent the last half-hour tossing her room and didn't find anything. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"You tossed her room?"

"I had to, Anna. What if-"

"Tom, that's a serious invasion of privacy! If she had woken up and found you searching her room, she would never have trusted us again!"

"She didn't wake up."

"But if she had-"

"If she had I would have confronted her tonight instead of tomorrow."

Anna shook her head. "You just don't understand. We can't give her any reason to distrust us; especially not now. If we ever want our daughter back-"

"Then we have to face and ask the hard questions, Anna. If she's using, then it needs to stop immediately. She needs help, and I'm not going to stand by and watch her kill herself!"

Anna placed her head in her hand. "Look, let's talk about it more in the morning. We're both tired and not thinking straight. Come to bed now."

Tom sighed and nodded. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this," he whispered.

"I know; and you won't be alone. I'm just as concerned as you are."

Anna gently kissed her husband and held his cheek for a brief second. Then, hand-in-hand, the couple retired to bed.

--

Irma's dreams were dark. Her mind was filled with horrible images of her friend being tortured horribly. Hay Lin was beaten mercilessly by Frost and Raythor, her agonized screams echoing cavernously. Miranda carved the flesh from her sister's bones, while Nerissa struck her again and again with deadly lightning. Hay Lin pleaded for help, begged for mercy...but all in vain.

Irma watched helplessly as her enemies tortured her dearest friend in front of her. She pleaded for them to stop, to take her instead, but the cruel Knights only laughed derisively.

Suddenly Irma was moving forward...moving to Hay Lin's side. The Water Witch became hopeful. Perhaps she could control the dream?

But that was not to be.

Instead of assisting Hay Lin, Irma slapped her sister hard across the cheek. The hurt and question in Hay Lin's eyes hurt Irma more than any of Nerissa's lightning bolts ever could. She slapped Hay Lin again, then punched her in the stomach.

"Irma...don't," the Air Guardian pleaded.

Irma only laughed. "You deserve this, Hay Lin. Always trying to get inside my head. This will teach you to mess with me."

The young Guardian grabbed Miranda's knife and plunged it deep into her former friend's chest. Hay Lin's horrified expression only made Irma laugh harder as she began to carve. In minutes, she had cut a hole in her sister's chest. Hay Lin's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she lost consciousness. That didn't stop Frost from reaching inside the Air Guardian's chest and pulling out...

In the dream, Irma screamed and screamed...but she was powerless to wake as the nightmare started over.

--

Morning dawned clear and bright, belying the horrific night Irma had experienced. As she finally woke, shaking, she noticed her body was covered in cold sweat. Breathing hard, she grabbed for her cell phone...but it wasn't there. She began to panic. She had to know if Hay Lin was alright.

Bolting out of bed, she ran for her bedroom door. She tripped on a large pile of clothing and fell hard to the floor. Ignoring the pain, she stumbled to her feet and began to move anew towards the door.

She fell again, as her head exploded with pain. The horrible images of the night before filled her mind. She grabbed her head in her hands and willed the evil nightmare to stop. Screaming loudly, she finally drove the scenes away.

She felt as if a heavy weight were lying on her back, as she struggled to rise. Crawling on her hands and knees, she collapsed to the floor and felt physically ill. As she struggled not to throw-up, she knew she wasn't going to make it to her bedroom door. She began to crawl towards the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet before regurgitating.

Just then her mother threw the door open and rushed into the bedroom. Irma had collapsed onto the floor next to the toilet, breathing hard and shaking all over.

"Tom, come quickly," Anna yelled.

Sergeant Lair rushed into the room and assessed the situation quickly. Racing to his daughter's side, he knelt quickly and placed a hand on her forehead.

"She's clammy and cold as death," he said gravely.

"I'm calling 911," Anna said as she rose to her feet.

"Wait," Tom advised. He leaned close to his daughter's ear.

"What did you take?" he asked.

Irma shook her head weakly. Tom shook the girl's shoulders. "Tell me what you took, young lady."

"N-nothing," Irma finally answered. "I-I didn't...I w-wouldn't..."

Tom growled and turned her to face him. Irma's glassy eyes tried to focus on her father.

"Tell me the truth. What did you take? I can't help you until you start being honest with me."

"Dad, please. I'm not on drugs...it was just a nightmare. A really bad nightmare."

"Tom, stop," Anna pleaded, grabbing her husband's beefy shoulders. "That's enough. She said she didn't take anything."

"I don't believe her," the sergeant replied, his eyes narrowing.

"I swear, Dad," Irma said, some of her strength returning. "I'm not on drugs. I just had a really bad nightmare...that's it."

"I still think we should call the doctor," Anna said, nervously.

Irma shook her head...and immediately wished she hadn't. "I'm fine, Mom. I swear, I'm fine."

"Tom, can you give us a moment please?"

Gently letting go of his stricken daughter, Tom rose to his full imposing height. "If I find out you've been lying to me..."

Irma swallowed but said nothing.

With a final glare, Tom Lair stomped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Irma breathed a sigh of relief. She had never seen her father so angry...or so distrustful.

"Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?"

Irma snapped back to reality. Talk about it? Hell no...how could she tell her mother she had helped to murder her best friend? She may as well spill the whole sordid story.

"No, Mom, I really don't," the girl answered. "I just want to forget all about it."

"Honey I can't help you if-"

"I don't need help; I just need to be left alone." Irma immediately regretted the tone in her voice. Her mother gazed at her through hurt eyes.

Irma closed her eyes briefly and pushed herself to her feet. She hugged her mother and held the embrace for a time.

"I'm really okay, Mom. I just need to sort some things out. Can't you and dad trust me on this? Please?"

Anna held her daughter as if clinging to a lifeline. She wanted desperately to help her oldest child, but knew she couldn't push her into allowing that help; especially if she didn't want it.

"Oh, sweetie, I do trust you. I know your father wants to, but you've been acting so strangely these past few weeks. You're always so upbeat and confident; but lately you've been so down and afraid of something. You're acting like a hermit. We can't help but be worried about you."

Irma nodded, her mother's embrace starting to calm her a little. She wished she could tell the woman everything about Nerissa, the Guardians, Candracar, everything. She wanted so badly for her mother to understand what was truly going on with her daughter.

But that could never be.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I just have a lot of stress, and I need to be alone sometimes. Please don't freak out on me if I choose to handle things myself instead of always running to you and Dad."

Anna squeezed her daughter. "I don't know what's going on, but I can tell it's something big. I don't think you should try to handle it on your own, but I'll trust you and respect your privacy...for now. But if this gets much worse, your father and I will be taking a more active role in your life, believe me."

"Fair enough," Irma nodded as she broke the hug. He tried to smile reassuringly at her mother, but didn't think she quite pulled it off.

Anna Lair laid a hand on her child's cheek. Irma closed her eyes and reveled in that comforting touch.

"I imagine you'd like to take a bath now, yes?"

"How did you know?" Irma asked.

"Please," Anna grinned, "you've only been taking two baths a day for weeks. I'm not blind, you know."

Irma felt a little sheepish. "Guess it has been a little overkill."

Mrs. Lair shook her head. "If that's what makes you feel good, then go for it."

_Mom has no idea_, Irma thought. She nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Mom."

Anna mussed her daughter's hair a little then turned and left the room.

As soon as the door clicked closed, Irma climbed, fully clothed, into the tub. She turned on the water and closed her eyes. This bath would help make the horrible images go away.

As the tub filled with water, Irma breathed deeply, and seemed to relax some. After a time she switched off the faucet, and lay in the warm water, breathing deeply, her eyes closed. Glorious water made everything seem better.

After several minutes of basking in the soothing liquid, she tried to contact Taranee.

_Taranee, are you there?_

For some time, Irma heard nothing. But then...

_This had better be good to wake me up six in the morning on a Saturday._

It was 6:00? Oh hell...

_I'm sorry, Taranee, but it's really important._

_I can hear that in your mental voice, Irma. What's the matter?_

_I need to know if Hay Lin is alright. Can you please check in with her for me?_

_Okay, but why not just call her?_

_I can't find my cell phone._

Irma could practically hear Taranee slap her forehead.

_Gimme a sec._

The Water Guardian waited impatiently for Taranee to come back and tell her everything was okay. Everything _had_ to be okay.

After what seemed like hours, Taranee's familiar voice sounded in Irma's head.

_Hay Lin is fine, Irma. She's helping Mrs. Lin prepare for today's yummy lunch specials. Her words, not mine._

Irma breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Taranee. I'll quit bothering you now._

_Irma, stop that; you're not bothering me. What has you so spooked?_

_Who said I was spooked?_

_I'm a mind-reader, duh._

_Stay outta my head, Taranee. I'm warning you._

_Easy, Turbo, I'm not in your head. I can just hear the distress in your voice. _

Irma regretted her tone with Taranee. _I'm sorry, Taranee. I've just had my head messed with so much lately. I just don't want...I don't want..._

_I understand, Irma. It's okay. I wouldn't want me in my head, either. _

_Thanks._

_Irma, can I ask you something without getting my head bit off?_

_Can't promise I won't bite your head off, but go ahead and shoot._

Taranee held her breath, but plunged on. _Are you still having nightmares?_

Irma wasn't prepared for that question. Weeks ago, on Candracar, she had told the whole gang she was completely back to normal. Now Taranee was essentially saying she didn't believe her. Taranee had good instincts.

The young Water Guardian wasn't sure she was prepared to admit her weakness, but she also knew Taranee wouldn't believe a lie. So Irma decided on a half-truth.

_Sometimes..._

There was silence for a time. Finally Taranee spoke.

_Why didn't you tell us?_

_Because you all have bigger problems than worrying about a half-crazed teenager._

_Irma-_

_No, Taranee, no more. I can handle myself; I don't need any help. It's not like I'm on drugs or anything._

_Who said you're on drugs?_

_My dad thinks I'm taking something. He won't let it go._

_It's that bad, huh?_

_No, it's not that bad. He's just being a normal brain-damaged parent. They have to do this kind of crap to their kids in order to feel fulfilled or something. I'm sure Chris will get the talk when he's older. I just wish they would leave me alone._

_They're just worried about you._

_I know, but what can I say? By the way, Mom, I was tortured for a week by an ugly bulbous-nosed fiend, and mind-raped by a wrinkled old bag? That'll go over big._

_Irma you're still having trouble dealing with this. Let us help you._

Irma was tired of everyone treating her like a fragile, porcelain doll. _Just leave me alone and let me handle things, alright? I'm tired of everyone walking on eggshells around me. I'm not having trouble dealing with this. It's something that happened, and yeah, sometimes it gets hard. But I'm not a freak, and I'm not that breakable. I survived everything Nerissa threw at me, and I'll survive the occasional nightmare. I'm sorry for waking you._

_Irma, don't do this. Irma come back._

But Irma had cut the mental link. No matter how hard Taranee tried, her friend refused to answer.

Irma felt anger creeping into her mind. What right did Taranee have to judge her? What right did any of them have to judge her? She was tired of being treated like a freak at a carnival; something to be stared at and pitied. Well she didn't want their pity; she didn't want their stares. In fact she began to wonder what she was doing with them at all. Not a single one of them would miss her if she just left.

Thoughts of suicide entered her damaged mind. What would it be like to die? Just to cease to exist forever? How would her parents react? How would her friends react? Would Taranee feel her death? Would Hay Lin? Would Cornelia even care? Would Will? Beyond those few, no one would even give a damn if she were gone.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Irma slowly immersed her head in the water. Her element would take away the pain for a little while. Water would make everything better...for a little while.

**And there we have it, Chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you all for reading, and thank you again, Visigoth, for editing and for being my sounding board. Please leave a review if you should feel so inclined. Thanks. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to Chapter 4. Thanks everyone who reviewed: XV-Dragon, Lily312, Nemrut, ThePink1, Lost Prince, Darev, Starwin, Wolfgurl, Shocklance, DayDreamer9, Chase Young's Daughter, Zestychicken2, and Nerd4eva. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I also appreciate my faithful editor, Visigoth, for his efforts on my behalf. Thank you from the heart of my bottom. :) **

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading this story. Please enjoy this next installment.**

**Chapter 4**

"Irma, you've been in there for over an hour. It's time to come out."

Anna Lair knocked on her daughter's bathroom door. Receiving no response, she tried again.

"Irma, are you listening to me?"

Mrs. Lair's only daughter sighed heavily. Why couldn't her parents just leave her alone? So she'd been soaking in the tub for over an hour; what was the big deal? She wanted to stay here forever and never come out. She felt safe in the water; nothing bad had ever happened to her in a warm bathtub.

She couldn't say the same for the outside world.

"Irma!" The knocking came for the third time.

The young Water Guardian knew she had better answer her mother; otherwise the woman would barge in and find her fully-clothed daughter in the tub. _That_ would make explanations a little awkward.

"I'm coming, mom. Just gimme a minute."

Anna removed her hand from the doorknob and shook her head. She was worried about her daughter, but how could she get through to a stubborn, independent teenager? Irma was obviously struggling with something, but what? Her changes in demeanor had startled both her and Tom, and it just didn't seem to be normal growing pains. Overnight their precious daughter had gone from carefree and exuberant to moody and withdrawn...and neither parent seemed to know how to help.

Anna left the bedroom to give Irma some privacy and met her husband coming up the stairs.

"Is she out yet?" Tom asked.

Anna nodded. "She just got out."

"Who stays in the bathtub for that long?" Sergeant Lair mused.

Anna shrugged. "Our daughter, obviously."

Tom gave his wife an unamused look. "This has to stop, Anna. We have to get to the bottom of this situation. Irma plainly needs help, and we have to be the ones she can trust."

Mrs. Lair raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you tossed her room and accused her of taking drugs? So she would trust us?"

"Anna, listen-"

"No, Tom, you listen. Irma is not a criminal; stop treating her like one. You need to be her _father_, not a police officer. She needs understanding, not accusations."

"What if I'm right, Anna? What if Irma has a drug problem? I will not stand by and watch her destroy her life."

"She's not on drugs, Tom," Anna sighed. "My heart tells me there's something else going on here. I don't know what it is, but she needs to be able to trust us enough to tell us the truth."

Sergeant Lair glowered moodily and sat down on the top stair. "You're right; I'm sorry. I just feel like I'm being shut out and it's not a pleasant sensation. I love my daughter; I want to protect my daughter. Whatever she's going through, I want to be there for her. I just don't know how to do that when she won't even talk to me."

Anna looked lovingly at her husband. She moved to stand behind him and began to rub his broad shoulders. "We'll figure it out, Tom. Sometime she's going to realize she needs us, and when she does, we'll be here for her. But we have to let her come to us. If we force the issue, she'll only end up resenting us."

Tom shook his head. "No, we need to force the issue. She's had plenty of time to handle this on her own and now it's time we stepped up. She needs us to be her parents more than she needs us to be her friends."

Mrs. Lair was quiet for a moment as she pondered her husband's words. Even though Irma was her step-daughter, Anna had grown to love the child as if she had been her own. She had worked hard to form a relationship with the young girl and she worried now about damaging it. Though it was not a fragile relationship, it sometimes felt awkward to Anna. Sure, Irma called her mom, but the woman couldn't help wondering if Irma resented her at times.

Now Tom was talking about bringing the full parental artillery against her, and Anna wasn't sure that was the way to do things. On the one hand, Tom was right in that it was time to act like parents. On the other, what Irma was going through was obviously serious, and having more friends couldn't hurt. Anna simply wasn't comfortable playing the heavy, but she also knew she and Tom needed to be united.

"You're right," Anna finally answered. "She needs her parents now. Whatever we do, we have to be united."

Tom covered his wife's hand with his and squeezed it gently. "We will be," he assured his wife. "We will be."

The big man stood up and, hand-in-hand, the two adults walked down the stairs and into the living room.

--

Irma stood, dripping, in the bathroom. She gazed into the mirror and frowned at what she saw. Dark circles under her baggy eyes, grayish skin tone, a haunted look reflected in her aquamarine orbs. With a sigh, she dried her hair with a towel and stripped off her wet pajamas. She hung them over the tub to drip-dry and padded into her bedroom. Once there, she sat down in the middle of the room.

She felt drained and defeated. She couldn't help thinking about what had happened weeks ago on Mount Thanos, and how Nerissa had almost forced her to give up the Heart of Candracar. Irma had been on the verge of doing just that when Elyon and Luba had arrived to, quite literally, save the day.

Only Will knew the truth about her decision, and her leader had been unwilling to condemn her.

But that was alright, because Irma condemned herself enough for both of them.

Truth was, Irma would have given anything for the torture to stop; including the Heart of Candracar. Her friends had called her a hero for not giving in to the evil witch, but Irma knew better. Only Elyon's arrival had stopped the world from being plunged into a reign of darkness and terror.

Nerissa had completely broken the young Guardian...and she knew it.

Irma had told her friends she was fine because she was sick of them all fussing over her. She just wanted to be left alone to mourn the loss of her innocence and dignity. She realized she was throwing herself a pity party but she no longer cared. She deserved it for all she had gone through. None of the others could say they had experienced anything close to what she had experienced.

Irma's bones had been shattered, her back scalded, her flesh cleaved by a whip, her insides scarred by cruel lightning, her wings nearly separated from her back. As the young girl reflected on her week of torture, she began to tremble, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. The tears uncontrollable, she curled into a ball and had a panic attack. The walls began to close in around her as she shook. Balling her fists, she closed her eyes and wished for it all to go away.

Only sheer willpower kept Irma from rushing back into the bathroom to immerse herself in water once again. She knew from experience that all she could do was wait for the panic attack to stop, but the waiting was agony. Her insides seem to be jumbled up, and her chest felt constricted. Everything seemed wrong and frightening, like the entire world would burst through her door at any second and take her back to Nerissa.

After several minutes, Irma's breathing stabilized and the shaking subsided. The teenager lay on her floor, crying silent tears of anger, frustration, and terror. Nerissa had been right...Irma would never be free of the hag's clutches; she would always be a prisoner...a plaything to be tortured every day for the rest of her life. Though she carried no physical scars from the ordeal, the emotional and mental scars were permanent.

Irma Lair closed her eyes and tried to think of something calming and happy. Her mind focused on Hay Lin's smiling face...but then remembered her dreams from the night before. All she could see was the gleaming knife cutting into her best friend's chest and Frost...Frost...

With another panic attack threatening, Irma decided to try to busy herself with getting dressed. Perhaps this would avert the attack.

Standing up, the young Guardian pulled out shorts and a t-shirt from her nearby bureau and pulled them on. The activity did, indeed, stop the panic attack, and Irma felt grateful for the first time in a very long time.

As she brushed her teeth, her thoughts turned to Will. The Guardian Leader had claimed to be her friend, and would never do anything to hurt her. So why had she put her through all of this? Why had it taken her and the other Guardians so long to find her? Why hadn't they stopped the Knights of Vengeance from taking her in the first place? Irma had saved Will's life in that fateful battle, so why couldn't Will have saved hers?

And yet, Will _had_ saved her life by choosing to put her through the Joining instead of letting her die.

Irma's mind immediately changed course. Why hadn't Will let her die? Death was preferable to this torture every second, every minute, every day. For that matter, why had Will helped Nerissa to cast a terrible mind-raping spell on her? Why hadn't she trusted her friend's word that something was wrong with the Mage?

It was then that Irma realized she blamed Will nearly as much as she blamed Nerissa for what had happened to her.

The teenager spit into the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror once more. Her countenance had changed to angry, while her eyes were no longer haunted, but fiery. Will Vandom would pay for her betrayals; she would pay dearly.

--

Irma descended the stairs and found her parents sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Tom Lair stood up and faced his daughter.

"Irma, sweetie, come in here, please. We'd like to talk to you."

_Uh oh...ambush_!

Irma swallowed and entered the living room with trepidation. She would have to do some fast thinking to get out of this one.

"Sit down, honey," Anna said, patting the sofa next to her.

Irma sat down and gazed nervously at her father. "What's up?" she asked unnecessarily. "And where's Chris?"

"He's playing at the neighbors' house," Anna answered.

Irma nodded...she knew this was trouble.

Sergeant Lair took a deep breath and plunged right in. "Irma, you've changed and we need to know why...now."

Irma needed to stall for time. "What do you mean?"

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Stop this, Irma. You know what's going on and you need to tell us."

"Sweetie, we just want to help you," Anna chimed in. "But we can't do that if you don't trust us enough to tell us what's happening to you."

_Oh sure, why don't I just spill the whole sordid story for you? I'm one-fifth of a secret team of superheroes that fights evil on a different planet. Oh, and I was tortured for a week by an evil bag and her minions, then mind-raped by the same bag and now I'm dreaming of murdering my best friend. Yeah, that'll go over big._

Irma was wracking her brain for any satisfactory answer she could give her parents. They would never believe she was merely under a lot of stress at school, nor would they buy that she was merely a growing teenager with normal teenage problems.

Mostly because she was neither a normal teenager, nor were her problems normal problems.

Her parents were looking at her expectantly. Irma would need to answer them.

"I'm just not sleeping well," she tried. "I've been having nightmares lately, and they keep me awake. It's really not a big deal."

Tom sighed and shook his head. "Why won't you tell us the truth?"

_Because lying is so much fun?_

Irma looked desperately at her mother for help.

"Sweetie," Anna said gently, "your grades are falling and you're not doing your schoolwork. You spend all your time in your bedroom doing heaven-knows-what, and your attitude..."

Anna stopped and merely shook her head.

"Your room is a mess," Tom continued. "That's not like you; you've always been very clean and meticulous, very organized."

"Dad-"

Tom held up his hand. "Now I've searched your room and found no pills or other drug paraphernalia. I also examined your hands, arms, legs, and feet this morning and found no evidence of needle tracks. So either you're not doing drugs, or you're very good at hiding it."

Irma felt her anger boiling over. Somehow she felt violated. "You searched my room? You looked for needle tracks?" Irma stood up, her hands balled into fists. "That is a serious violation of my privacy and this conversation is over."

"Sit down, young lady!" Tom Lair thundered, pointing to the sofa. "We're finished when I say we're finished!"

Irma could see the anger on her father's whitened face. Nevertheless, she was determined to stand her ground. The teenager didn't make a move to sit down.

"You sit your butt on that couch right now, or so help me, I will put it there for you," the big policeman threatened.

Irma, angry beyond words, made to walk out of the room. With a growl, her father grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her down onto the couch. The daughter gazed at the father in shock.

"Don't you ever put your hands on me again," she whispered angrily.

"And don't you ever disobey me again," Tom countered. "You are on very dangerous ground, young lady. Now tell us the truth."

"Honey, we just want to help you," Anna said quietly, gazing at her daughter in desperation. "Please, you've got to trust that we want nothing but the best for you."

"Trust you? Trust you?! You're nothing but a fraud, trying to replace my real mother. You could never be what she was...you'll always be just a step-mother."

"Irma-"

"And you," Irma turned on her father. "You tossed my room and accused me of being a druggie. How can I ever trust you again?"

"That's enough!" Tom yelled.

"It'll never be enough," Irma yelled back, standing up again. "You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the ass. You can both go to hell!"

Irma felt the sting before she heard the slap. She looked at her step-mother with a mixture of anger and shock. Her rage finally hit the boiling point and she could no longer contain it.

"You...bitch!"

Right then, all the plumbing in the house suddenly blew. Sinks, bathtubs, and pipes burst open and water rushed out, flooding the kitchens and bathrooms. Tom made no move to solve this problem.

Instead he took his daughter's chin roughly in his hand. "You've gone too far this time," he hissed. Taking his daughter none too gently by the arm, he hustled her up the stairs and pushed her into her bedroom.

"You'll stay in here until I say otherwise. You have some serious thinking to do, girl. When you're ready to render an apology to your mother, you'd better pray she accepts it."

He slammed the door and called out to his wife. "Call a plumber...and a locksmith."

--

A few miles away, Taranee Cook lay on her bed, thinking. Her earlier conversation with Irma had shaken her a little. She now knew her friend had been lying to them about being alright. What else was she lying about?

Taranee knew her powers of telepathy came with great responsibility and as such, she refused to read her friends' minds without their permission.

But now she struggled with that code of honor.

Irma was obviously in trouble and needed help, but Taranee knew the stubborn Guardian would never ask for it on her own. In order to know exactly what Irma was going through, the Fire Witch thought she _had_ to read her friend's mind.

Closing her eyes, Taranee prepared herself to violate Irma's trust. Just as she was about to enter the Water Guardian's mind, she felt a telepathic spike that caused her to cry out. Putting a hand to her head, she sat up immediately and gritted her teeth. What was that?

Somehow, she knew it had something to do with Irma, but what? She tried to contact her friend telepathically, but to no avail. She could feel a great deal of anger and despair from Irma, and this increased her worry all the more.

Taranee needed help, so she contacted the other Guardians.

_Guys we have an Irma 911._

Not surprisingly, Hay Lin was the first to answer.

_What's wrong?_

_I'm not sure, but I felt a mental spike not long ago, and I know it has to do with Irma. I think she's in trouble._

_Isn't she always? _Taranee recognized Cornelia's bored drawl.

_Knock it off, Cornelia, _Will's cool voice came through. _Tell us what you know, T._

_That's about it, really. I can't prove it but I think she's still having nightmares all the time. I'm pretty sure she had one last night because she asked me to check on Hay Lin. She won't talk to me, though._

_And what makes you think she'll talk to any of us? _Cornelia asked. _She's already proven she wants to handle things herself. Why do we think that's changed?_

_It may not have changed, Corny, _Hay Lin responded. _But if Irma needs help, then we're the only ones who can give it to her. _

_Don't call me Corny..._

_Ladies, _Will tried to head-off an argument before it started. _Let's try to focus here. Taranee, can you contact Irma at all?_

_No, Will. I've tried and she's not responding. Either she can't hear me or she's ignoring me. _

_At this point I think either scenario is possible, _Will grumbled.

_Stop being unfair. Irma's been through a lot and I, for one, don't think that kind of thing would be easy to live with, much less talk about. If it were me, I think I'd rather forget the whole thing._

_No one's bagging on Irma, Hay Lin, _Will soothed. _The fact that's she's still alive and functioning at all is a miracle, all things considered. _

_Well that's cheerful, _Cornelia said.

_But also true. _

_What if she's not really functioning?_

_What are you getting at, Cornelia? _Hay Lin was getting defensive.

_Calm down, tiger. I'm just saying that something like this can screw a person up for a long time. I'm not so certain Irma wasn't lying when she told us she was fine. _

_Now you're calling her a liar?!_

_Oh for crying out loud. Could I get some support here?_

Taranee tried very hard to think about her response. _Hay Lin, Cornelia has a valid point. Irma told me she still has nightmares sometimes, but I have a feeling it's more often than that. She cut me off when I tried to press her about it. _

_Why wouldn't she tell us? _Hay Lin queried, the fear in her voice evident.

_Let me take a guess, _Will said. _She doesn't want to worry us. We have other problems. _

_That's what she said._

_When is that girl going to learn that she needs us? _Cornelia asked.

_Probably never, but we have to convince her otherwise. _

_Agreed, Will, but how do we do that without alienating her further?_

_Well first I think we need to pay her a visit, Hay Lin. _

_Why don't I just call her and see how she's doing?_

_No go, Hay Lin, _Taranee answered. _She's lost her cell phone._

_Well that's rude..._

Will giggled. _I guess it's back to Plan A; let's all meet at Irma's house in half an hour. _

_Right,_ the Guardians echoed.

Taranee cut the mental link and headed for the bathroom. As she was brushing her teeth, a loud thunderclap shook the house. Startled, she cried out and dropped her toothbrush. She spat into the sink and walked to her bedroom window. Where once there had been clear, blue skies, there were now heavy, black storm clouds. A torrential downpour had begun and Taranee thought Heatherfield might be in danger of flash-flooding.

The Fire Guardian frowned and shook her head. Yes, she thought Irma was definitely in trouble.

**And that's Chapter 4 everybody. Thanks for reading. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back to da Pit, my friends. Thank you to all of you that reviewed: Lost Prince; XV Dragon; Zestychicken; Cartoonloverfan101; Daydreamer9; Sportsman; Spyder; Darev; Starwin; Nemrut; Nerd 4 Eva; Krystal of Nol; and Shocklance. You guys totally rock and you keep me going. Thank you all so much.**

**Just want to do a quick shout out to Ice Silver Crystal and GlitterP. Hope you two ladies are doing okay. **

**Thank you also to Visigoth again for encouragement and for letting me bounce my crazy ideas around. You are the best...**

**Thanks to all who have been reading this and What Price Loyalty. I'm enjoying the stories and I enjoy the interaction as well. So thank you all for your support and for believing in me. **

**Now wothout further ado, may I present, for your reading enjoyment:**

**Chapter 5**

Luba stood in the Chamber of the Aurameres, seething quietly. The Oracle had just taken away everything she had worked for; everything she had bled for. She had been a member of the Council of Candracar for eons and now she had lost that position. Not only that, she had lost her home. The cat felt she did not deserve such a harsh penalty.

And yet, a part of her believed she did.

Luba knew she had deliberately placed Yan Lin, Halinor, and Irma in danger just because her pride would not allow her to make the correct decision. She had been blinded by rage at the Oracle for indirectly putting the Water Guardian through the most horrific experiences imaginable. By not taking more definitive action against Nerissa so many years ago, he had allowed events of the past weeks to occur. True, it had been a Council decision to banish and imprison the witch instead of executing her, but Luba still blamed the Oracle for showing mercy to an obviously evil seed.

Luba closed her eyes and recalled that fateful day when Nerissa had been sentenced. She remembered how the former Keeper had begged for lenience and for mercy. It had been an accident, so she claimed. She hadn't meant to use that much power against her teammate. She hadn't meant to hurt Cassidy, much less kill her. It had been a proverbial crime of passion, and Nerissa believed she was as much a victim as Cassidy. After all, she had to live with what she had done for the rest of her life.

The Oracle and four others had agreed that day. Though the Guardians were not, technically, a part of the Council, they had been given a voice due to the nature of the incident. Kadma and Halinor had voted for clemency, along with Althor, Tibor, and the Oracle. Grief-stricken, Yan Lin had walked out of the proceedings, and so had abstained by default. Only Luba had cast a dissenting vote; a vote that would have ended the Keeper's life. In the end Luba's dissent did not matter; Nerissa was imprisoned on Mount Thanos and escaped years later to wreak havoc on the current Guardians.

Luba didn't even know if the young Water Witch knew she had died at the the Knights' hands. She knew she would have died if not for the Joining, but did she know she had actually expired before then? If not for the quick actions of Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Will, Irma would be just a memory now.

Luba could feel rage building anew, and she struggled to control it. For too long, the Caretaker had been a prisoner of her anger; the Oracle had taught her to bridle it, but she was far from heeding his advice now. With a loud growl, she turned and punched one of the gleaming, silver walls. The structure remained staunchly undamaged, while Luba's hand took the brunt of the abuse; but she didn't care. She punched the wall with the other paw, and again her hand took the damage. Frustrated at her inability to harm the Fortress, she growled again and turned back to her duties.

Seething less quietly now, Luba thought about her past, and how it had shaped her. She came from a race of creatures where honor was everything; and to die in combat was the greatest honor of all. A war-like people, in-fighting with one's own clan was a common occurrence. When Luba was very young, her family had been killed in an ambush by the leader of her clan, Traver. Though she never knew for sure, Luba believed it was because her mother had been seen as a threat to her leader's power. So, like an annoying bug, she and all her supporters had been swept away. Luba survived only because she had been covered by one of her uncles when the slaughter had begun. The killers did not find her.

From that day on, Luba had relied on her instincts and the meager skills her father had taught her. Later, as a young woman, she joined another clan and learned the ways of the warrior. Consumed by her desire for revenge, she knew nothing but rage towards her former clan. Years later, she went to her former leader and offered her services as a slave and concubine. She was an attractive woman, and Traver did not recognize her. He took her in instantly and set her to work the mines. Eventually Traver grew lonely for companionship and he ordered his newest slave to his bed. Luba meekly obeyed.

When he tried to take her, the cat buried her claws in his neck and tore out his throat.

The element of surprise on her side, it did not take but an hour to decimate the entire clan. Her thirst for vengeance slaked, Luba returned to her new clan and received the highest honors. But the cat felt empty inside. Her act of revenge had not brought back her family, nor had it made a difference in the politics of her world. It was simply one less clan to battle for supremacy.

Over the years, Luba grew more and more empty, and tired of the constant fighting. An excellent fighter, Luba often found herself on the front-lines of battle, where she sustained many life-threatening injuries. She still carried the scars of claws and other primitive weapons. Weary from injuries and constant fighting, Luba left her clan and searched for a quiet spot to settle down.

It was during this search that she had met the Oracle. Never having seen anyone or anything like him before, she followed her instincts and attacked him. He had powers she had never seen and he easily subdued the big cat. Defeated, Luba bowed on one knee and offered the stranger her neck, as was custom among her people. When the killing blow did not come, the cat looked into the stranger's eyes.

He spoke and his voice was soft and gentle. "Rise, Luba. I mean you no harm."

Luba swallowed; how did this _thing_ know her name, and how did he speak her language? Nonetheless, she obeyed her conqueror and stood. She was much taller than the stranger, but her imposing height did not seem to cow him at all.

"I come from a world known as Candracar. I am known as the Oracle. I am your friend, and I have come to ask for your services."

Luba narrowed her eyes and remained silent. Who was this Oracle, and how did he know her? What could she, a warrior, possibly offer this powerful being?

"I know you have grown weary of fighting, and I offer you a realm of peace. I need someone to care for some things very important to me and all of Candracar. The very universe hinges on the safety of these things. Will you help me, warrior?"

Luba narrowed her eyes even more. "I am no nursemaid, stranger."

"These things are objects, not people," the Oracle smiled. "Though they are sentient, they are not beings, as you know them."

Luba shook her confused head. "I do not know of that which you speak. Why should I assist you?"

The Oracle raised himself to his full height. "I have defeated you in an honorable duel. If you force me, I will impose that task as your price for defeat. But I hope you will simply look into your heart and see that what I ask is honorable and good."

"I have blood on my hands."

"You are not evil, Luba. You have done what you needed to do to survive. Your desires for vengeance have been slated. I am here to show you there is another way of existence. There are other honorable purposes in the universe than open battle."

Luba was close to panic. This Oracle seemed to know everything about her life. Every deed, every battle, every scar. What was he?

She was about to be taken from the only home she had ever known, and onto a different world at that. Luba had never known there were other worlds nor did she understand this concept of universe. And how could an object be sentient and yet not alive? She was confused and her head started to hurt.

"Come with me," the Oracle said, holding out his smooth hand. "I will show you beauty beyond your imagination. I will show you peace beyond your hopes. You will not have to fight for survival anymore. Please, Luba, come with me now."

Luba did not want to go with this stranger, and yet what choice did she have? He had defeated her in a duel; by law, she was bound to do his bidding. The custom was to give up one's life, but this stranger had not asked for her life. Instead he had imposed a different penalty; one of servitude.

Luba was nothing if not honorable. She would not tarnish her character by refusing her conqueror's wishes. She was honor-bound to obey, no matter what. So she nodded and gave in to the Oracle's request.

That had been a long time ago, and Luba had, indeed, learned to find peace on Candracar. The life suited her tastes after so much killing and nearly being killed. Still, the warrior in her sometimes longed for the familiar sensation of battle.

Her hardened exterior made it difficult to call her friend; but one young woman had managed to break through that wall and had changed it all. Luba had come to see the young Water Guardian very much as a cubling. She felt protective of the girl and realized she would do anything to protect her. Hence, the bitterness towards Nerissa and the Oracle. Though he had rescued her from a life of war and pain, the Oracle had become Luba's enemy of late.

And enemies had to be eliminated.

Luba growled and knocked herself along the side of her head. The Oracle was her leader, and had always shown her kindness. He had been the first being since her parents and uncles to do so. Even her new clan only saw her as a means to an end, and that end would have eventually resulted in her death; most likely from the hand of someone inside that clan.

The Oracle had used his magic to heal her of her scars, and to grant her immortality. The other members of the Council had taken her in despite her gruff exterior and uneducated ways. They had taught her to speak a variety of languages, and to conduct herself in a civilized manner. How could she have fallen so far out of favor?

Her thoughts turned to what she had done, and she was forced to admit that she did deserve some kind of penalty. But why banishment? What other home did she have now? Where would she go? She couldn't go back to her world; she had changed too much. Honestly, she didn't even know if it still existed after so many eons. She had come to regard the Aurameres as her sacred responsibility; she would never let anything happen to them as long as she drew breath. She feared she would go through withdrawal were she not allowed to perform her duty.

Somehow she had to get the Oracle to reconsider.

--

Will, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Taranee stood outside the Lair home. A locksmithing van and a plumbing truck were parked near the curb.

A great rainstorm pounded Heatherfield and Cornelia couldn't recall a heavier one. She worried about flash-flooding...and other things.

"Ugh, this rain is going to ruin my hair!"

"Too late," Hay Lin quipped with a good-natured grin.

Cornelia shot the smallest Guardian a withering look. "Tonight while you sleep..."

Will knocked on the front door before the banter could get out of hand. Sergeant Lair was just pulling on his police jacket as he opened the door.

"Hi girls," he said gruffly. "I'm afraid Irma has been grounded until further notice. She won't be able to see you today."

"Until further notice?" Will said, shocked. "Mr. Lair, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, girls, but I really have to go. There have been several incidents of flooding and every police officer has been called in to help with the fallout. Suffice it to say Irma needs to learn when she's pushed things too far."

As Will moved aside to let the big policeman through, the locksmith came down the stairs. She could hear him talking to Mrs. Lair.

"Alrighty, ma'am, one new lock on the bedroom door. I'm all finished here, if I could just have you sign this for me please."

Anna placed her signature on a clipboard full of papers. The locksmith tore off a copy and handed it to her. "Thanks kindly, ma'am. This is your copy and here's the key."

Anna nodded and sighed. "Thank you."

"Yes ma'am. Have a good day."

The locksmith excused himself leaving Anna Lair looking sad and defeated in the living room. Seeing the girls on the front stairs, she came to the door.

"Would you girls like to come in for a few minutes? You look like drowned rats."

The girls thanked the woman and trooped inside.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Mrs. Lair, what we really want is to see Irma."

Anna sighed. "I'm sorry, Hay Lin, but that's just not possible today. She's been grounded and can't have any visitors."

Will spoke up. "Mrs. Lair we're worried about her. We just want to know she's okay. Please can't we-"

"No, Will, you can't. Irma is in trouble and she needs to learn that there are consequences to her actions."

Taranee looked pensive. "Is this about her grades? Because we can help her-"

"It's not about her grades, Taranee. Not exactly, anyway."

"Then what is it?" Cornelia asked.

"She disrespected me and her father. For that, she's being punished."

The room was quiet for a moment, then Anna motioned for the girls to sit down. When they did, Anna sat next to Hay Lin and took her hand.

"The truth is, girls, that Irma has changed and we don't know why. She won't talk to us; it's like she's hiding something and doesn't trust us enough to tell us what's wrong. Do you have any knowledge of what it is? Anything that could help us help her?"

"What kind of changes have you noticed, Mrs. Lair?" Taranee asked.

"Well you already know about her grades, apparently. She's never been a Straight-A student, but we're not accustomed to seeing D's and F's. She completely ignoring her schoolwork, and spends all of her time in her room; which is a mess, by the way. When she's not listening to heavy metal, she's soaking in the tub. She said she had a nightmare last night and I can tell she hasn't been sleeping well of late. It's night and day. Our daughter has always been so confident and bubbly. Now she's withdrawn and reclusive. We just want to know what's going on so we can help her."

Hay Lin squeezed Anna's hand. "Mrs. Lair, we don't know what's wrong. That's why we want to talk to her."

Anna shook her head. "Not today, Hay Lin. I'm sorry."

Hay Lin sighed sadly. "Well then, would it be okay if I used your bathroom real quick?"

Anna nodded. "Sure. You know where it is."

Hay Lin nodded and stood up. She proceeded down the hall and when she was out of sight, she turned herself invisible. Quietly, she crept back to the stairs and began to climb. She saw Taranee turn her head slightly towards the stairs but there was no stopping Hay Lin now.

The smallest Guardian proceeded to Irma's room...and was disappointed to find a shiny new lock on the door. Not surprisingly, the lock was in perfect working order and entrance to Irma's room was denied. Frustrated, Hay Lin crept back down the stairs and down the hall. Quickly she flushed the toilet and washed her now visible hands. She returned to find the others standing in the living room and saying their good-byes to Mrs. Lair.

"Tell Irma we stopped by, would you?"

"Yes, Will, I'll tell her."

"Thanks," the redhead said sadly.

The friends waved goodbye and left the Lair home. As the door closed, Taranee looked up at Irma's window. For a moment, she thought she saw movement behind the curtains, but it didn't happen again.

"Guys," Hay Lin said, "I tried to get to Irma's room. There's a new lock on the door. I couldn't get in."

"You went snooping around the house?" Cornelia asked, shocked.

Hay Lin looked at the ground and nodded.

"Good girl," the blonde Guardian complemented.

"What do you mean there's a new lock on the door? They've locked Irma in her room?"

"Yeah, Will, it looks like it," Hay Lin answered.

"Whoa, she must have really done something bad," Taranee mused.

"Yeah, but to lock her in her room? That's barbaric," Will said, clenching her right fist.

"That depends on the room," Cornelia replied, flipping her hair.

"No it doesn't," Hay Lin responded quietly. "What are we gonna do, guys? Irma needs our help and we can't get to her."

"Maybe we can," Taranee answered. "Let me try telepathy again."

_Irma, can you hear me?_

The silence in Taranee's head was deafening.

_Irma, please, we just want to talk to you. We're worried about you._

After a few minutes, "She's not answering."

Will narrowed her eyes. Why wouldn't Irma answer Taranee?

"Are you being blocked, or is Irma just being stubborn?"

Taranee shrugged. "I don't know, Will. All I know is she's not answering me."

"Then we break through her window and force her to listen to us," Hay Lin demanded.

Will shook her head. "We can't risk her parents hearing us. Besides, how would Irma explain the broken window? It would look like she was trying to sneak out and then where would she be?"

"But we can't just do nothing! Her parents are being jerks," Hay Lin cried.

"Keep it down, Hay Lin," Cornelia advised.

"You keep it down, Corny. It's not your best friend that's being held hostage," Hay Lin retorted.

As Taranee listened to Hay Lin and Cornelia go at it, the irony of the situation was not lost on her. Usually it was Irma and Cornelia that argued like this. Also, Irma had come from one prison to another. First Nerissa, now her parents. When would this all end for her?

"Guys," Taranee interrupted, "we need a new plan." The four friends began to wander down the street.

"Got a suggestion?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she has to go to school on Monday. Let's confront her then. Something tells me she's not as alright as she claimed."

"Irma wouldn't lie to us," Hay Lin said.

"Sure she would; she's Irma," Cornelia retorted. "She's lied to us about her mental condition before, why stop now?"

Taranee saw the slap coming and caught Hay Lin's hand before it could strike Cornelia's porcelain cheek. "Not the way to solve things, Hay Lin."

"I don't care; she has it coming!"

"Maybe, but this isn't the time," Will said. "For the record, Cornelia is right. She shouldn't have said it like that, but she is right. Irma has lied to us before about her mental state for whatever dumb reason. We have to at least entertain the possibility that she's lying now."

"But we're the only ones that can help her," Hay Lin's lower lip quivered. "Why wouldn't she let us in?"

"Because she has a lot of pride," Cornelia answered. "You know how private she can be; especially lately. She likes to keep her problems to herself."

"Well I'm tired of being shut out. I'm her best friend...where does she think she gets off?"

"I think it may be time for us to interfere a little," Will said. "If Irma's parents are noticing changes big enough to lock her up, then something is seriously out of whack."

"How about an intervention?" Taranee suggested.

"You mean like on TV? Those always end up seriously messy," Cornelia said.

"I wouldn't know, but I think it's the only way we can do things."

Will looked hard at Taranee. "We would take a huge chance of alienating her."

"I think it's worth it, Will. We have to get Irma some help before she hurts herself."

"Hurt herself?" three voices said together.

Taranee shrugged nervously. "I'm worried she might. Have you seen this storm? Three guesses what caused it. She's angry and cornered; and now her parents are treating her like a criminal. All these changes in her personality...we'd have to be blind and stupid not to know why. I don't think any of us signed up for this when we became Guardians. We have to do something drastic or Irma's gonna go completely off the deep end. I just hope we're not too late."

Will pinched her nose and closed her eyes. "Alright, Monday after school then. We kidnap her and haul her to the Silver Dragon's basement. We should involve Yan Lin; she's the only adult on earth that may be able to help. We should also get Elyon to help; Irma's her friend, after all."

Cornelia nodded sarcastically. "Good idea, you two. Let's tackle her, drag her kicking and screaming to a cold basement, then beat the emotional hell out of her. Yeah, she'll really want to be our friend then. We'll be lucky she doesn't shoot us with her dad's gun."

"Cornelia!" Hay Lin yelled.

"I'm just saying..."

"Well you can stop just saying," Hay Lin fumed.

"Look, none of us knows how Irma is likely to react to all of this, but you can bet it will be colorful. I think she's probably had enough of people in her face telling her what to do, no matter their intentions. This will get ugly real quick and I'm not sure we're all equipped to handle that."

Hay Lin opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped by Will's interruption. "Cornelia's right about that. We don't know how Irma will react, but I think we can all predict it won't be rosy. She's not likely to want to open up about what's going on. We may have to force it out of her."

"Hasn't she had enough of people trying to force her into crap?" Hay Lin asked, defensively.

"It's for her own good this time," Taranee replied. "We have to get to the bottom of what's happening to her before we lose her completely. If forcing her to talk is the only way, then we have to do it. You want to help her don't you?"

"Yes of course, but we're all standing her talking about forcing her to talk. That's what Nerissa tried to do...force her to ask for help."

"We're not Nerissa...and besides that old bag is gone forever. She can't hurt anyone anymore," Cornelia said.

"I know, but what if-"

"What if, nothing," Cornelia said impatiently. "There is a huge difference between us and Nerissa. We're trying to help Irma; that bitch just wanted to hurt her. We're her friends; Nerissa was her mortal enemy. We're perfectly sane, well except for Will; and Nerissa was sick and demented. Are you seeing a pattern here?"

"Hay Lin," Will said, "Irma needs help now. If this may do it, then shouldn't we try?"

"Yes of course; I just don't like the idea of ganging up on her."

"Only to help her," Taranee answered.

Hay Lin nodded and stared at the street as the friends walked along.

"Why don't we go let Elyon in on the plan right now?" Will suggested.

"But what about my hair?" Cornelia wailed. "I can't go to Meridian looking like this!"

"Get over it, Earth-Girl; we're going," Will said.

With that, the redhead pulled the Heart if Candracar from inside her shirt and created a fold to Meridian. The four friends stepped through.

--

Irma heard her friends in the living room. Their voices were muffled, and she couldn't hear what was being said, but she could guess. She hoped they would be able to get through her mother and get up to see her.

But that was not to be.

She thought she heard the door handle jiggle once or twice, but by the time she looked out through the keyhole, there was nothing there. She attributed it to her imagination, and went to her window to look out form her new prison.

What were her parents playing at? Locking her up in her room like this was hardly the way to build trust. Her dad going through her room and her things...who did he think he was?

She saw her friends on the porch and realized they were leaving. _They sure didn't try very hard,_ Irma thought. In disgust, she threw herself onto her bed and pulled her on headphones. She flipped her stereo on and closed her eyes. The strains of death metal filled her ears, and made it easy to ignore Taranee's telepathic pleas.

_Irma, can you hear me?_

The young Water Guardian allowed the heavy music to consume her.

_Irma, please, we just want to talk to you. We're worried about you._

Irma did not answer her so-called friend. Worried? Not very much; they didn't even try to get past my mother.

For a little while, Irma continued to listen to the awful sounds of the music, then she dropped her headphones on the bed. Angrier than ever, she stripped and climbed into the bathtub. _At least the plumber has finished his work up here, _Irma thought as she turned on the water. Once again, the liquid drove her fears away...if only for a little while.

--

Four Guardians arrived on Meridian, albeit in human form. As the ascended the steps of the palace, Taranee could feel something was wrong.

"Uh, Will? There's something weird. I don't know what it is, but I can sense something's not right. I think we should Guardian-up."

Will looked hard at Taranee but finally nodded.

Holding the Heart in her hands, Will said, "Guardians Unite!"

Instantly the four young girls were transformed into four young women with wings and smashing, multi-colored tights.

"What do you feel, T?"

"I really don't know, Will. It's just a strange feeling, that's all."

"Let's find Elyon and see what's going on," Cornelia suggested.

The Guardians flew to the top of the steps and were immediately stopped by the guards.

"Guardians," one of them said, "you're here. Thank the Queen, you're here!"

"What's going on?" Cornelia asked, worried.

"It's the queen...she's very sick. She may be dying. No one has seen her for two weeks. I overheard the royal physician say there was nothing he could do for her."

Cornelia gasped. "We have to get to her!"

The other three nodded and echoed concern. They flew along the corridors to Elyon's bedchamber. The doors were locked, but Cornelia quickly took care of that, as she blew the doors off their hinges.

They found the young queen lying unconscious on her bed, sweating profusely and looking ashen. Cornelia rushed to her side and placed a hand on her forehead.

"She's burning up. Will, we have to do something!"

Will nodded and summoned the Heart of Candracar. She held it tightly above her head for a few seconds, then extended her now open palm towards the young queen. The room was soon bathed in rose-colored light, as the Heart attempted to heal Elyon.

After a few seconds, the light faded and Elyon stirred.

"It worked!" Cornelia breathed excitedly.

But the Queen of Meridian did not wake.

"Taranee-"

"I'm already on it, Will."

After another few seconds, "I can't contact her. I don't think she can hear me."

"Can you tell what's wrong with her?" Cornelia asked anxiously.

"I don't know, but she's obviously pretty sick."

"The Oracle," Hay Lin suggested. "Maybe he can help."

Without another word, Will opened a fold to Candracar. Hay Lin used her powers over air to create a cushion for Elyon. Slowly and carefully, she floated the young queen towards the fold.

Arriving in the Central Chamber, the Guardians were unsurprised to find Tibor and the Oracle. Will immediately stepped forward.

"Oracle, something's wrong with Elyon. She's sick and we can't wake her. Not even Taranee can contact her telepathically. I tired to heal her with the Heart, but it didn't work. Please can you help her?"

The Oracle walked quickly towards the group and placed a comforting hand on Elyon's forehead. He closed his eyes and was silent for several minutes. Finally, he spoke.

"She has been poisoned. The toxin is native to Meridian and is very rare. Even more so, it is difficult to mix and to administer. Only an expert could have done this."

"Does it have a cure?" Cornelia asked breathlessly.

The Oracle shook his bald head. "Sadly, it does not. Without our aid, the Queen of Meridian will surely die."

Cornelia gaped stupidly, as if she were unwilling to accept such a diagnosis.

"What should we do?" Will asked.

"You must command the Heart and I will command my own magic. Together, we may be able to turn back the toxin. Are you ready, young Keeper?"

Will nodded and held the Heart tightly in front of her.

The Oracle smiled and held his arms out to his sides. A soft blue glow enveloped his hands as he knelt and placed them on Elyon's forehead. Will simultaneously opened her palm and directed a rosy light at Elyon's chest. Azure and coral lights bathed the feverish girl as Will and the Oracle worked together to purge the poison form Elyon's body.

Presently, the lights faded and Elyon took a rattling breath.

But she did not wake.

"Did it work?" Hay Lin asked.

The Oracle had his eyes closed and his hands remained on Elyon's forehead. Presently he spoke.

"The toxin has been purged, but the damage is severe."

He removed his hands and stood up straight. "I am afraid she has fallen into a deep coma...one from which she may never wake."

--

**Thank you everyone for reading. Please leave a review and let me know what y'all think. Until next time, take care and have a good life!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Good morning Whale Pit!! Okay, so it may not be morning where you are, but what can ya do? I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter: Crowofdawn; XV Dragon; Daydreamer9; Shocklance; Cartoonlover; Nightroad; Nemrut; SortaSpyder; ThePink1; Lost Prince; Nisa; ZestyChicken; InvaderSpyder; Darev; Nerd4eva; and Wolfgurl. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.**

**Here's a shout-out to Lord of Darkness...thanks for your PM's, my friend. **

**Again I thank my editor, Visigoth29527, for his tireless work on my behalf. Thank you again. **

**Now without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 6**

Anna Lair watched Irma's four friends walk away down the street. Finally she closed the front door and sat down on the couch. Burying her face in her hands, she lost herself in her thoughts. What was she doing? How could she possibly have agreed to lock up her daughter like a criminal? Not that she had really been consulted, but still...

She had to talk to Irma alone, without Tom present. He was much too volatile right now for Anna's tastes, and she didn't think Irma would open up to him readily. But maybe if her mother pleaded and cajoled...

Anna walked to the stairs and paused on the bottom step. Was she making the right choice? What if Irma spurned her out of sheer anger? Could she handle it if her daughter rejected her again? _ You're nothing but a fraud, trying to replace my real mother. You could never be what she was...you'll always be just a step-mother. _Those words haunted the middle-aged woman, and she wasn't sure her heart could take another round.

Still, no matter what Irma thought, that child meant the world to Anna. Even if she was not her biological child, she loved her like a daughter.

And Anna refused to sit by and watch that daughter destroy herself through grief and rage.

With renewed determination, Mrs. Lair climbed the stairs and turned down the hall towards Irma's bedroom. She knocked softly.

"Irma? Irma can I please come in?"

Receiving no response, Anna knocked louder.

"Irma, sweetie, please let me come in. I just want to talk to you."

Again, she received no response. Taking a deep breath, the woman inserted the key into the new lock and turned it slowly.

"Irma, I'm coming in now."

Slowly, Anna turned the doorknob and opened the door. The bedroom was still a mess, but there was no sign of Irma. Her headphones lay in the middle of the bed and Anna found herself drawn to them. Cocking her head slightly, the woman strode through the piles of clothing on the floor and approached the bed. Gingerly she picked up the headphones and slipped them on. Almost afraid of what she would hear, Anna flipped the switch on Irma's stereo.

And immediately wished she hadn't.

Strains of the most awful noise filled her ears and immediately caused Anna's head to ache. Quickly she turned off the stereo and threw down the headphones. How could anyone call that music, much less find enjoyment from it? Anna had never heard anything more forceful or offensive in her life.

Her concern growing for her daughter, the woman turned her attention to the bathroom. Of course Irma would be in the tub; she only spent all her free time in there. Or so it seemed anyway. Anna wondered what it was about the bathtub that fascinated her daughter so.

Mrs. Lair again fought her way through the piles on the floor and gently knocked on the bathroom door.

"Irma, are you in there?"

Anna heard a startled splash behind the door, confirming her earlier suspicions.

"Please, sweetheart, I just want to talk."

"Go away."

"Irma we _need_ to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Then perhaps you'll agree to listen."

Irma was trapped. What could she do except maybe bury her head in the water? Still, maybe it would be worth listening. Her mother didn't sound angry, and almost seemed to be pleading. Perhaps she was here to render an apology.

"What do you want?" Irma reluctantly responded.

Anna breathed a small sigh of relief. "Baby, I'm sorry I slapped you; I had no right to do that."

Irma furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth. Her mother was, indeed, apologizing, and now that she had, Irma couldn't help feeling she had deserved to be hit. She had said some terrible things to her mother that she felt she would never have said under normal circumstances. Somehow, Irma thought that deserved a little retaliation.

"Yes you did; I was being a jerk. You had _every_ right to slap me. I deserved it."

Anna was taken aback. She had been hoping for a modicum of forgiveness, but this was too much.

"Why would you say such a thing?"

Irma thought carefully about her response. Over the past weeks, she had been hurt by everybody, it seemed. In a way, hurting was comforting; it was familiar. Why should her mother not get in on the act? But Irma knew she couldn't tell her mother this; she would only freak out if she knew her daughter kind of _liked_ to hurt. So the girl chose a different tact...one of forgiveness.

"Because I _did_ deserve it. Nothing gives me the right to talk to you and dad like that, no matter how angry or hurt I felt."

Somehow, Irma found that forgiveness was very therapeutic. She had only meant it as a tactic to get her mother to go away faster, but now the girl found she actually liked it.

"I'm sorry for hurting you both," Irma continued. "I just need you to understand where I'm coming from. Why can't you and dad trust me when I tell you there's nothing wrong with me?"

Anna had hardly imagined this conversation taking place through the bathroom door, but she wasn't about to question her good fortune. If Irma was willing to talk, then so was Anna.

"Sweetie, we're trying to trust you; but both of us know there's something wrong. There have been too many signs to believe otherwise. What is it that has you so afraid you refuse to let us help you?"

Irma sighed and buried her head in the water for a moment. _What has me so afraid? If only you knew._

"You just won't leave it alone will you," Irma replied, her head breaking the surface. "Alright I'll talk but not through the bathroom door. Give me a few minutes and then we can have a face-to-face?"

Anna's heart nearly leaped with joy. "Sure, sweetheart. Just knock on your door when you're ready."

With that, Anna left the bedroom, closing the door loudly behind her so Irma would know she had gone.

The young Water Guardian stood up in the tub, and sighed. Now what could she do? She had to come up with an excuse for her behavior. She wished she could tell her mother the truth; oh how she wished it. But that could never be. She had to think of something else.

The young girl stepped out of the tub and used her powers to dry herself off. She deliberately did not dry her hair, as that could look suspicious to anyone paying attention. Instead, she took a towel to her auburn locks and ran a comb through the thick tresses. She dressed quickly and stood in the middle of her room, thinking hard.

Her mother was not a stupid woman and certainly wasn't likely to buy just any explanation. Unless she had a little help...

Irma cocked her head and began to form a plan. Yes, it might just work.

With a satisfied nod, the girl crossed her room and knocked softly on her bedroom door. Almost immediately, it opened and Anna stepped through. Closing the door behind her, the kindly woman grabbed her daughter in a hug. Irma wanted nothing more than to run away, but she forced herself to hug the woman back.

"Can we sit down?"

Irma nodded and mother and daughter sat down on the bed. Anna took both of Irma's hands and looked deeply into her daughter's haunted, blue eyes.

"Please tell me what's wrong. I only want to help you; but I can't do that unless you talk to me."

"Mom, I don't mean to be difficult, but I need you to trust me when I say it's just normal teenage stuff. I don't expect you and dad to understand, but I need my privacy and your trust. Just let me deal on my own...please."

"But your grades-"

"I know, I know," Irma said, holding up her hand. "I'll get Taranee to tutor me or something, but I need to handle this on my own."

"Baby, I _do_ trust you," Anna said, squeezing Irma's hands. "But don't you see what this is doing to all of us?"

"Of course I do, but try to understand what it's doing to _me_. You guys are accusing me of being on drugs, locking me in my room, grounding me. I feel like a criminal and I haven't done anything wrong. I'm just going through a tough time right now, but I haven't done _anything wrong. _Why are you treating me like the bad guy?"

Anna thought for a moment. From Irma's perspective, she was being trusted unfairly; and perhaps she was a little. Anna believed the lock on her daughter's room was unnecessary, and intended to get Tom to remove it immediately. She also believed her husband should not have searched Irma's room without her permission, but what could be done about that now? The grounding, however, was completely reasonable in the woman's opinion, and she refused to budge on that.

Anna wanted nothing more than to agree with her daughter, but she also felt she had to support her husband. The proverbial rock and a hard place...

"Sweetie, I agree your father should not have searched your room without asking, but as your parents we have the right to want the best for our daughter. We have the right, the responsibility, to make sure you're not hurting yourself. It would devastate us both if we lost you, and drugs are such a rampant problem among teens these days. You're exhibiting all the classic signs of drug use, and your father and I needed to be sure."

"Then why not just ask me instead of violating my privacy?"

"Would you have told us the truth if you were using? Honestly?"

Irma thought about that. "Probably not."

Anna nodded. "That's right. Still, we should have confronted you first. I'm sorry for that, but can you find it in your heart to forgive us? We had the best of intentions, but perhaps we didn't go about it in the right way."

Irma narrowed her eyes. Forgive such a naked violation of her privacy? Just like that? True, her mother had not actually committed the offense, but still. Here she was begging for forgiveness, when it was truly her father that should be doing such. Her mother she could see forgiving, but her dad? She just didn't know.

Irma wanted things to be normal, like they were before Nerissa had shown up. That bag had changed everything about Irma's life, and now the Guardian suffered every day because of her tortures. Even though the sorceress was dead and couldn't harm her anymore, Irma still experienced nightmares and flashbacks. Quietly, the young girl mourned the loss of her innocence.

"Irma?"

Irma jumped; she had forgotten to answer her mother...and the woman would need an answer.

"I can forgive you because you asked," Irma finally replied. "But dad needs to ask me, too. Locking me up is extreme and I'm upset about it. If he takes this stupid lock off the door, then maybe he and I can talk. I'm his daughter, not some strung-out druggie looking for her next hit. He needs to understand that. If he can't, then I want nothing to do with him."

Anna's soft, blue eyes turned painful. "You can't mean that. He's your father and he's trying to-"

"He's trying to alienate me and make me mad. Well he should be very proud of himself because he succeeded."

"Irma, please, listen to me. He loves you and only wants to protect you. You know he has a short temper at times, but it's only because he's feeling shut out. He needs his daughter more than you'll ever know, and right now he needs you to soften towards him a little. He made a couple of mistakes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

Irma gritted her teeth. "If he loves me so much then why doesn't he believe me when I tell him I'm not taking drugs?"

"He does believe you, sweetheart."

"No he doesn't. He wants to think I'm using because it fits with his little fantasy. He's a cop and I'm the criminal; he wants me to be using so that he'll be right."

"How could you think that?" Anna asked in horror.

"Because it's true. It's more important than anything for him to be right; even more important than loving his only daughter."

Anna gaped in shock. "Irma, that's not true and you know it. You're just saying this because you're angry."

"You're damn right I'm angry! I've been locked up in my own house; I'm my father's prisoner, and quite frankly I'm a little tired of being held captive!"

Had Anna known the truth, she would have picked up on Irma's slip; but as it was, she merely wrote it off as the ravings of an angry teenager. "Irma, please calm down. I'm sure once he sees what he's truly done-"

"He'll put a second lock on the door in case I manage to pick the first one. My drug-addict friends taught me to do that, you know."

"That's enough, young lady. That's not fair and you know it. Your father does not deserve that kind of disrespect no matter what he's done. Now I don't agree with his methods, but as your father he has every right to want to keep you safe...even from yourself. Deep inside, you know he wants only the best for you, and you know he loves you more than anything in this world. Why do you think he's doing all of this?"

"Because he likes to torture me?"

"Because he wants to protect you. Now I don't know where you got the idea that he has anything but love for you, but you need to lose that idea right now. We both love you so much it's indescribable. Which is why we're hurt when you won't trust us enough to let us help you."

Irma opened her mouth to interrupt, but Anna continued. "I understand your need to handle things on your own, but this behavior has become self-destructive. It's like you just don't care anymore, and that scares us. Your emotional state seems almost like a precursor to suicide and we don't want to lose you. Your father's reactions are out of fear...can't you understand that?"

"Now I'm not only a drug addict but suicidal as well? Where does this all end? Why won't you believe me when I tell you it's no big deal? I'll handle it and be back to my old self in no time. Why won't you trust me on this?"

"Because we're afraid for you, Irma. I may only be a step-mother, but I love you as if you were my own. I'm frightened of this new person who seems to have replaced my daughter. Her room is a mess, she spends all her time in the bathtub, and she listens to the most awful music I've ever heard. How do you expect me to..."

Anna cut herself off then and look critically at her daughter. Something had suddenly dawned on her, and she prayed she was wrong.

"What?" Irma asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Irma, has someone been hurting you?"

_Oh no, now what_? Her mother had just hit the nail on the head, and Irma couldn't see a way out. She needed to stall."

"Hurting me? What do you mean?"

Anna Lair swallowed hard then plunged on. "Irma, I need you to tell me the truth now. Has someone been molesting you?"

Irma actually shrank back as if she had been hit by one of Nerissa's lightning bolts. She answered automatically without thinking.

"What? No! No, that's crazy. Seriously I would kick him in the balls. Do you really think I would keep something like that from you?"

"Yes, if you were ashamed enough, you would. Are you telling me the truth? If you prefer I won't tell your father. It will be between you and me."

"I'm not being molested, mom. No one's ever touched me, or tried anything like that."

"Then what is it? Has someone been hurting you in other ways?"

"Look at me, mom. Do you see any marks on me? Any bruises or welts? Do I limp or look like I'm in pain?"

"Yes, you look like you're in pain. Something behind those beautiful eyes..."

"You're weirding me out, mom. No, nobody is hurting me. You think a cop's kid could be bullied? Please...I'm the bomb. Honestly, I'm more a threat to them than they are to me."

Anna reached out and cupped her daughter's cheek. "Then what is it, baby? What's happening to my girl?"

Time for Plan B. "I'm just stressed out, mom. I haven't been sleeping well, I told you that. Look, I'll ask Taranee to help me with my schoolwork, okay? And I'll stop listening to death metal if it makes you happy. I'll clean my room, but I need my baths. Deal?"

Irma concentrated hard before her mother could answer.

_It's a deal and I'll leave you alone now, it's a deal and I'll leave you alone now,_ _it's a deal and I'll leave you alone now._

Anna opened her mouth to speak. "It's a deal and I'll leave you alone now. But you promise me if this gets any bigger..."

"I'll come to you."

"And you and your father will talk tonight?"

Irma sighed. "If we have to."

"Thank you, sweetheart; it means a lot to me."

"Does it mean enough to let me out of my cage?"

"You're still grounded, and I can't let you out without your father's consent. But I _will_ leave the door unlocked. I'm trusting you to do the right thing."

It was a start. "Thanks, mom."

Anna nodded and rose to leave. "Now would a great time to clean your room."

"I will."

"Good girl. Thank you for talking with me...I really appreciate it."

"Thanks for trusting me."

Anna crossed the room and opened the bedroom door.

"Mom?"

Mrs. Lair turned. "Yes?"

Irma paused and looked at the floor. "I...love you."

Anna smiled and moved back towards the bed. She hugged her daughter tightly, this time receiving an embrace of her own.

"I love you too, baby."

--

Tom Lair had been working hard to serve the citizens of Heatherfield all day. Tired and wet, he returned home just after nine PM that evening. As he opened the door, he took off his hat and hung it on the rack near the door. His police jacket followed and he turned to see his wife approaching.

"Welcome home, Tom," Anna said, kissing him lightly.

"Thanks, honey. It's good to be home."

"Busy night?"

"Ugh, the worst. The flooding stranded all kinds of motorists. We had to shut down Main Street for a few hours just so we could pump the water out. Honestly, I've never seen a storm like this. And where did it come from? No rain is predicted for the next week at least."

"Must be one of those freak things," Anna shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. Did Chris get home alright?"

"Yes, he's already in bed."

"And Irma?"

"She's in her room, where she's been all day."

Tom grunted. "Good."

"Tom, we need to take that silly lock off her door. It just makes her hate us."

Tom looked pensive. He had been thinking about his daughter all day, and he had to admit he might have overreacted a little. Grounding her was one thing, but locking her up? What had he been thinking?

"I agree," he sighed. "I don't know what came over me, Anna. I was just so angry and..."

"And scared," Anna finished. "She's your only daughter and you're afraid you're losing her."

"You know me so well."

"Just _talk_ to her, Tom. She loves you, and if you keep your temper, she might even forget she's mad at you."

The sergeant nodded and started for the stairs. With one bracing look to his wife, he slowly climbed the stairs and turned down the hall towards Irma's bedroom.

Reaching the door, he knocked softly.

"Honey? Can I come in?"

Irma stiffened. She had been dreading this all day. But hey, at least her room was clean.

"Come in," Irma finally answered.

Tom wasn't at all surprised to find the door unlocked. He knew Anna hadn't supported his idea to lock up their daughter. He opened the door and strode slowly inside. Closing the door behind him, he stood still and looked around the room.

"It looks nice in here, honey. I'm proud of you for cleaning up."

"Thanks," Irma mumbled, staring at the floor.

Tom crossed the room in two long strides and took Irma's hand. Carefully they sat down on the bed and he began to speak.

"Irma, sweetheart, I love you. I'm sorry for treating you so poorly, but you scared me to death. Your behavior is so strange lately...it's just not you. I may have gone about it the wrong way, but I think I had every right to assume drug use."

"Yeah, you _did_ go about the wrong way. You should have just asked me before searching my room without a warrant."

"I know, baby, I know. I'm sorry for that, but if you had come to us sooner-"

"You still would have thought I was using." Irma held up her hand when her father opened his mouth to reply. "But...I understand where you were coming from, I guess. I've had some time to think today, and I realize I'm upset with you...but I'm not mad anymore."

Tom Lair said nothing, but waited for his daughter to continue.

"I need you to trust me when I say I can handle things on my own. Sometimes I need my privacy, and having my parents in my face all the time gets really old. I'm not on drugs, I'm not being molested, I'm not being bullied. I'm just trying to figure some things out, that's all. I'll figure them out, _on my own, _and then I'll be back to normal. Just give me a chance to prove I can handle it."

"But you haven't been handling whatever _it_ is. Your grades have dropped and you're in danger of flunking out. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not, but like I told mom earlier today, I'll get Taranee to help me or something. Look, I'll try harder and I'll pull my grades up. I'm not gonna flunk out, but I need you and mom to stop hounding me about it all the time."

"We hound you because we want you to succeed. You need a good education, and good grades, in order to make it in this world. You can do and be anything you want, but only if you have the grades to do it. I want you to have options when you get to college, not just a string of regrets."

"College is a long way off, dad. I've still got a few months to pull my grades up, and if I hit my midterms, then everything will be okay. Please, can't you trust me to get it done?"

"Irma, baby, I do trust you; I'm just worried and scared for you. It's not just your grades...it's your attitude. They way you treated you us this morning...it's unacceptable, young lady. You had no right to talk to your mother that way, and no right to scream at me the way you did."

"Okay, I accept that, but what gives you the right to paw through my things the way _you_ did? My bedroom is my private haven, and now it feels violated. How could you do that to me?"

Tom cast his eyes around the room, looking for the right words. "I regret my actions, but I can't take them back. All I can do is ask your forgiveness for a senile old man. I thought I was doing what was best for you. Drug use is serious and I've seen it destroy lives. I could not, in good conscience, sit back and let something like that happen to my daughter. I realize I should have confronted you before I took the measures I did, but what can I do about it now except ask your forgiveness?"

Irma didn't answer immediately. She could see her father truly did regret his actions, but that didn't mean she wasn't upset about them. Before she could reply, however, Tom Lair threw his arms to his sides.

"I throw myself on the mercy of the court, Your Honor. I beg for a stay of execution."

A few weeks ago, Irma would have giggled. This wasn't the first time her father had thrown himself on the mercy of the court. It used to make her laugh, but now her damaged mind only flashed a vision of Nerissa throwing herself on the mercy of the Council of Candracar. Had they taken a course of justice instead of mercy...

Irma shook herself and forced a small courtesy laugh. "Knock it off...you look like a goof."

Tom put his arms down and gazed fondly at his daughter. "Irma, I love you; I love you so much I can't put it into words. I would never let anyone hurt you. I know you can take care of yourself, but let a father protect his daughter, okay?"

Irma wanted to cry. A few weeks ago she would have believed those words. Now they just echoed hollowly in her head. She _had_ been hurt badly by someone...someone her father would never know. In fact she would have been killed if not for the powers of Candracar. She shuddered as she remembered how close she had come to being tortured to death.

But Irma could no more tell her father that than she could pretend it hadn't happened. So instead she told him what he wanted to hear.

"I know you wouldn't, dad. You're a good father, but I need you to trust that I can handle things on my own. Please, let me do it."

Tom looked long and hard at his daughter. On the one hand, she was so young and he wanted to keep her from whatever was causing her nightmares. On the other, his daughter was extremely independent and needed her privacy. How to balance her need for trust and his need to protect? Finally, he decided her needs were greater than his...for now.

"Alright, baby, I'm going to trust you...for now. But if this gets any bigger, I'm gonna be all up in your face again. Deal?"

It was the best deal she was going to get, so Irma smiled slightly. "Deal."

"We'll see about getting that lock removed on Monday, shall we?"

"I would like that, dad. Thanks."

Tom nodded and cuffed his daughter gently on the chin. "You're my girl and I love you. Never forget that."

Irma nodded and playfully punched her father's shoulder. "I love you, too."

The big sergeant smiled and rose to leave. "Get some sleep, kiddo."

"I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Tom Lair closed the door behind him.

Irma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was suddenly experiencing a bad headache. She rose from the bed and padded to the bathroom. She grabbed some aspirin and swallowed them with no water. After all, what use did the Water Guardian have for that?

Returning to her bed, she shut off her lamp, and pulled the covers up to her chin. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.

Or to dream...

Will was hanging by her fingertips over a very high ledge. Frost was gleefully stepping on her left hand with his huge boot. With a cry, Will's hand fell off the ledge. She screamed for help as the fingers on her right hand began to go numb.

Frost's booted foot came down on those fingers. Will had just resigned herself to her fate, when Frost suddenly flew over the edge, howling pitifully. Will looked up to see her savior. Irma leaned down and pulled the frightened redhead to safety.

"Irma, you saved my life. Thank you."

"All in a day's work," Irma saluted.

Will giggled.

"Will can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Why did you put me through the Joining?"

"Excuse me?" Will said slowly.

"You knew it would screw me up for the rest of my life, yet you did it anyway. How could you make that kind of decision for me?"

"Irma...I don't know how to answer that."

"I think the Heart chose badly when it chose you. In fact you don't deserve to hold it, if you can so callously condemn your friends to a life of torture."

"Irma, stop this. You're not-"

"In my right mind? You're damn right about that. But there's something I can do to save everyone else from your corruption."

With that, Irma pushed Will over the ledge. The Keeper screamed as she plunged to her death. Irma watched her former friend fall...and smiled.

--

**And there's Chapter 6. Look for an intervention in the next chapter...maybe. I don't know, we'll see how it goes. LOL. Thanks again for reading. Cheers!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again and welcome back to the Whale Pit. Chapter 7 is ready, but before we get to that, I wish to acknowledge my reviewers: Crowofdawn; ZestyCHicken, XV-Dragon; Daydreamer9; Nemrut; Nerd4eva; Lost Prince; Darev; Marooncartoonstar; Wolfgurll; Nightroad; ThePink1; and Shocklance. An extra thank you goes to Nightroad for visiting the Whale Pit forum and leaving some good insights. **

**Thanks also to Visigoth29527 for being my editor and confidante. Thank you very much.**

**Now on with the story.**

**Chapter 7**

Monday dawned clear and chilly in Heatherfield. The awful storm had finally ceased pounding the city, and the previously flooded streets were now dry and peaceful. Adults hurried to work, and children hustled to school. Life was getting back to normal in the community.

Four teenage girls stood in the basement of the Silver Dragon restaurant, discussing strategy.

"It's occurred to me that this afternoon's intervention may get a little loud," Taranee said pensively. "Maybe we should think about moving it somewhere a little more remote?"

"Like where?" Cornelia asked.

Taranee shrugged. "I don't know, but I think any of our houses are off limits. Irma's not likely to think this is a good idea, so we should expect her to be pretty vocal about it."

"She may not like it, but it's necessary," Cornelia said. "We need to get her some help whether she likes it or not."

Will spoke up. "I agree, but she's probably not gonna want our help."

"So, we convince her otherwise," Cornelia answered.

"Yeah, but we need to be careful," Hay Lin chimed in. "I agree she needs us, but we need to help her see that rather than_ force _her to accept it."

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. "I'm not talking about hurting her, Hay Lin; heaven knows she doesn't need any more of that. But she _needs_ us whether or not she's willing to admit it. We're the only ones who can truly help her, and I think she needs to understand that as soon as possible."

"I know, Cornelia," Hay Lin answered. "You would never intentionally hurt Irma. I guess I'm just a little over protective of her."

Cornelia's eyes softened. "That's a good thing, Air Girl; she needs that kind of protection now."

"She's just been through so much...I don't want her to hurt anymore. I feel so helpless."

Will placed a hand on Hay Lin's shoulder. "We all feel a little helpless; that's why I think this intervention may be as much for us as for Irma. We need to feel like we're doing something, and this may be just what the doctor ordered."

"But we still need a change of venue," Taranee spoke up.

"A change of who?" Will asked.

"A change of venue," Cornelia answered. "She means we need to move the intervention to some other location."

"Couldn't you have just said that?" Will said

"I did say that..." Taranee answered.

"How about Shell Cave?" Hay Lin offered.

Taranee nodded. "That might work."

"It's Irma's favorite spot in Heatherfield; she may feel a little more comfortable there," Hay Lin said quietly. "If we're all about to gang up on her..." The Air Guardian shrugged and didn't continue.

"It's not like that, Hay Lin," Will said comfortingly. "We're just trying to help."

"I know; I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Look, if you're feeling uncomfortable, maybe we should call it off."

Hay Lin shook her head. "No, Will, I don't think we should do that. You're right...we all need this. I'm just worried about how Irma's going to react. I don't want her to think we're the bad guys again. After what happened with the Mage..." Hay Lin shuddered.

"That was a mistake, true enough," Taranee said. "But we can't keep beating ourselves up for it. We screwed up, yeah, but we can't undo it. All we can do is move forward and try to live with it."

"Irma's the one who's had to live with it the most," Cornelia spoke up. "We so owe her for that."

"I don't think we're ever gonna be able to repay that one," Will said somberly. "But like Taranee said, we have to try to get past it. If Irma can forgive us, then we need to be able to forgive ourselves."

"But what if she hasn't forgiven us?" Hay Lin said quietly.

Will nodded sadly. "She may not have, but that's not the issue. I'm looking to help Irma, not comfort myself. This is about her, not me."

"Red's right," Cornelia said. "We need to be thinking about Irma, not ourselves. This _is_ all about her; let's try to focus on that."

"So Shell Cave after school, then?" Taranee raised an interrogative eyebrow.

Will nodded. "I like it. We'll tell her we need to practice; she won't suspect a thing."

"Oh this feels so much like an ambush," Hay Lin wailed.

"It is, but it's a necessary ambush," Cornelia said quietly. "She needs this, Hay Lin, and I don't think she would ever agree to come to an intervention on her own."

"I know, I know; I just don't like the secrecy. I know it's for a good cause, I just don't like deceiving her, that's all."

"I can't think of another way to do it, Air Girl," Cornelia said, laying a hand on Hay Lin's shoulder. "If she would just talk to us, this would all be moot. But since she won't, we have to take some drastic measures."

Hay Lin covered Cornelia's hand with her own and smiled gratefully at her blonde friend. "Then I'm glad we're getting it over with today. I don't think I could stand waiting a week."

"I'll tell Mrs. Lin," Taranee said. Telepathically, the Fire Girl contacted the former Air Mistress and told her of the change in plans.

"She says she'll meet us there this afternoon.

"Then it's settled," Will said resolutely. "This afternoon, Irma gets some help."

--

Irma tried to sleep through the last period of school that day, and Hay Lin had to kick her chair more than once to keep her awake. Irma tried not to be annoyed with her friend; she was just trying to help, after all. The Air Guardian couldn't possibly know about the previous evening's nightmare; the one that had kept Irma awake all night.

The Water Witch closed her eyes for the umpteenth time and tried not to remember the horrible images. Unfortunately, her mind had other ideas.

Cornelia and Irma walked along the beach at sunset. The ocean lapped gently at the sandy shore and Irma felt at peace. It was a feeling all too alien of late, and the young Guardian basked in the companionship of her friend and the sense of serenity.

"You must really love the beach, Irma," Cornelia said. "I'm sure you feel most comfortable around water."

Irma nodded. "True that."

The two friends walked along in silence for some time before Cornelia spoke again.

"I've often wondered what it would be like to float on the waves."

Irma looked sideways at her friend. "You can't swim, Corny."

"I know that, Irmy, but still...it looks kind of fun, I guess."

Irma raised an eyebrow. "You want me to teach you how to swim?"

Cornelia stopped and gazed intently at her friend. "Would you? I can't think of a better swimming instructor than a Water Guardian."

Irma grinned. "Sure. Come with me."

Irma took Cornelia's hand and led her into the ocean.

"Let's just practice floating first, then we can actually start swimming. Sound good?"

Cornelia saluted. "You're the teacher."

Irma laughed and instructed Cornelia to lie on her back in the water.

"Now just lie as still and as straight as possible. You'll float."

Cornelia tried to obey, but she began to panic. "Irma, I can't do this; I feel like I'm gonna drown."

"I won't let you drown, silly. I'm the freaking Water Guardian, for crying out loud. Just trust me."

Cornelia's panic began to die down. "I do trust you. Let me try again."

The young Earth Guardian again lay on her back and tried to float. To her amazement, she didn't sink beneath the waves, but floated right on top of the water.

"Wow, this is amazing, Irma!"

"See? Nothing to be afraid of."

After a little while of floating, Irma gave Cornelia a crash-course on how to swim. Then they proceeded further out. The water soon reached Cornelia's neck, while Irma was obliged to tread water. The auburn-haired girl could see the uncertainty in her friend's blue eyes.

"Don't worry...I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you."

Cornelia nodded and began moving her hands like Irma had shown her. Soon, she was swimming for the first time in her life.

"Irma, I'm swimming! I'm actually swimming!"

"I told you you could do it."

Irma and Cornelia swam for a little bit, enjoying one another's company. Presently, Irma swam to Cornelia's side and began to tread water.

"Corny, there's something I've wanted to say to you for a long time, and I think now may be the time to say it."

"Sure, what is it?"

Irma's face suddenly turned to a mask of rage and she put her hand on top of Cornelia's head. "I wish you were dead!"

With that, the Water Witch pushed her former friend's head beneath the waves. Cornelia's cry of shock and terror was cut off as her lungs filled with water. Though she tried to fight, the blonde girl was no match for a Guardian in her element.

Irma laughed as Cornelia's body went limp and ceased to live. From somewhere far away, a bell was ringing.

"Irma!"

The young Guardian jumped and her eyes flew open as she recognized Hay Lin's voice. She realized immediately that she had fallen asleep again and the ringing was the bell signaling the end of the period.

"Sorry, I guess I drifted off."

"Yeah, like all period," Hay Lin said, her voice echoing concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Hay Lin. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Another nightmare?"

Irma swallowed hard. "Yeah."

"What was it about?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it, Hay-Hay."

"Irma, if you don't-"

"I said no," Irma replied sternly. Seeing Hay Lin's hurt eyes, the Water Guardian sighed.

"I'm sorry, Hay Lin...I just really want to be left alone, you know?"

"Well that may be a little difficult today. Will wants to practice."

Irma shook her head as the two friends left the classroom. "No can do today. I'm grounded, remember? I have to go straight home, otherwise I think my dad might have a coronary."

"We can send your Astral Drop home, then smuggle you in after practice."

Irma thought about that. It _would_ be nice to get out of her room for a while, but she really didn't want company. Still, it looked like she didn't have much choice. Her leader was calling, and Irma felt honor-bound to obey.

"Alright," Irma sighed. "Astral Drop goes home, I go to...where are we going?"

"Shell Cave," Hay Lin answered. "It's big and quiet. Should be a good place to practice."

Irma nodded and fell silent. Presently, the two friends met up with Will, Taranee, and Cornelia outside Sheffield Institute.

"Hey Irma," Will greeted brightly. "Did Hay Lin fill you in on the plan?"

"Yeah she did. We'll have to send my Astral Drop to my house; otherwise I'll get in trouble for not coming straight home."

"No problem. Let's head for the cave and then we can summon Miss Drop," Cornelia suggested.

Irma nodded but didn't say anything. She fell into step behind her friends as they headed for Shell Cave. She couldn't help gazing at Cornelia's back, thankful she was actually alive. Irma had no desire to kill her or any of her friends, but she worried that she was capable of doing so. After all, she had tried to kill Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Yan Lin just weeks ago on Candracar. Irma shuddered at the memories.

Suddenly, she felt a dull ache in her left arm.

"Hey," Hay Lin said, playfully punching her friend in the arm. "You're awfully quiet. What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking, Hay-Hay. Don't worry..."

"Too late."

"Well stop it. I don't need you to worry about me."

Hay Lin was about to reply, when she was cut off by Taranee's voice in her head.

_Don't go there, Hay Lin. Save it for the intervention._

As much as Hay Lin wanted to comfort her friend, she knew Taranee was right. So she chose a different tact.

"Can you believe all the homework Will's mom's boyfriend gave us?"

"Hay Lin!" Will said dangerously.

"Oops, sorry, Will. Sore subject?" Hay Lin's eyes were dancing.

Will responded with a low growl. Hay Lin laughed.

The smallest Guardian kept up a light banter all the way to Shell Cave. Irma said nothing at all.

Once they reached the cave, the Guardians ditched their backpacks at the mouth and proceeded inside. Will pulled out the Heart of Candracar and quickly summoned Irma's Astral Drop.

"Any instructions for it, Irma?"

Irma looked at her double; the doppelganger stared blankly back.

"Just go to my house, go straight to my room, and climb into the bathtub. That's all you have to do."

The Drop nodded and headed for Irma's house. Once she was out of sight, Irma turned back to her friends. They were all staring at her strangely.

"What?" Irma asked, confused.

The four girls looked at each other for a moment. With a nod from Will, the girls fanned out until they had Irma surrounded.

Panicked, Irma looked from one to the next. "What's going on?"

"Irma," Will said, "we're not actually here to practice."

"Yeah, Will, I figured that much out. What _are_ we doing?"

Will decided not to try and sugar-coat the issue. She plunged right in. "Irma, you need help, and we're the only ones who can give it to you. You've been shutting us out and quite frankly we're getting tired of it. No more pussyfooting around..this is serious."

"We need to be included in what happened to you," Taranee continued. "It's partly our fault, and we want to help you get through it."

"You're not dealing very well," Cornelia chimed in. "None of us can blame you for that, but it's time you got the help you deserve. We're here to give it to you...today."

"Please don't be mad," Hay Lin said quietly. "We're just trying to help. Can you understand that?"

"All I understand is that I've been setup. How long have you been planning to ambush me?"

"We've been setting this up since Saturday, but that's not the point," Will answered. "Irma, you're our friend and we've been pretty lax in that department of late. You need us whether you realize it or not. We're the only ones who can understand what you're going through. Please, let us in."

"How can you understand what I'm going through? How can _any_ of you understand what I'm going through? None of you were there."

"I was," Hay Lin answered softly. "At least, I tried to be as much as you would let me. I felt some of your pain, and some of your despair. It was crippling to say the least, but I didn't leave you then, and I won't leave you now."

Irma glared at her best friend and turned to leave. Taranee blocked her path, refusing to allow her passage.

"Out of the way, Taranee."

The Fire Girl shook her head. "No."

"I don't wanna hurt you, but I will if you don't move."

"Then you're gonna have to hurt me, cuz I'm not moving."

Balling her fists, Irma tried once more. "Move, Taranee, or I'll punch your lights out."

Taranee calmly reached up and removed her glasses. Placing them in the pocket of her jumper, she stuck out her chin. She wished she felt as brave as she looked. "Then hit me, Irma. If it makes you feel better, let me have it.."

"You asked for it!" Irma pulled her fist back to punch her friend.

Hay Lin caught her arm before it could spring forward. She twisted her friend around held her arms to her sides. "Irma, stop. You don't want to do this."

With a growl, Irma broke Hay Lin's grip and shoved her best friend to the ground. Leaping on top of her, the Water Guardian's fist connected with the Air Guardian's jaw. Immediately, Irma was tackled to the ground by the remaining Guardians.

"Let me go!" Irma screamed. "Let me go!"

"Don't let her go!" Will shouted. "She needs this; we have to make her see that!"

Irma screamed like a madwoman and struggled, but the Guardians held her down.

"I'll kill you! Let me go!"

"Irma, it's us," Will pleaded. "We're your friends. We just want to help you."

"Don't touch me...don't let her touch me!"

"What?" Cornelia was confused. "What did she say?"

"Oh gosh, Will," Taranee said, her voice betraying the panic she felt. "She's having a flashback. We have to let her up."

"No, she'll hurt someone," Will answered. "If we hold her down long enough, she'll tire herself out. Then we can talk."

Hay Lin finally joined the fray and sat near Irma's head. She held the beautiful face in her hands and tried to calm her friend.

"NOOOOOO!" Irma screamed as her back arched and she continued to struggle. She could see the Mage standing over her, the awful spell ready to be cast.

Just then, Yan Lin entered the cave. Seeing and hearing the struggle, the former Air Mistress hurried towards the pile of Guardians.

"Girls, What are you doing?"

"Trying to exhaust Irma so we can talk," Cornelia answered through clenched teeth. She wasn't sure who was going to tire first.

_Irma, can you hear me? It's Taranee...you're safe. No one is going to hurt you._

"Stop, please, stop," Irma pleaded, her struggling becoming less and less. "Don't hurt me anymore. I'll do anything you want."

_Stop struggling, Irma, we're your friends. We don't want to hurt you. Listen to my voice; we're here to help you._

"No, no, no..."

_Irma, listen to my voice. Let it lead you back to reality._

Something in Irma's crazed mind clicked then...Taranee.

_Taranee? Help me please._

_We're trying but you have to stop fighting us. Stop struggling...no one is here to hurt you._

_It's the Mage, Taranee. She's Nerissa...she's going to hurt me. Please don't let her get me. _

_No, Nerissa is dead. She can't hurt you anymore. Please, Irma, stop fighting. Trust me!_

Irma eyes darted wildly around the cave. She didn't see the Mage, nor did she see any _sign_ of the Mage. She suddenly remembered she was in Shell Cave and that the Nerissa _was_ dead. Her friends were holding her down because...

...she had attacked Hay Lin.

Immediately, Irma stopped struggling and relaxed visibly.

_Good, Irma, that's better._

"She's calmed down now, Will. Can we let her up?" Taranee asked.

"No, not yet. She may be faking. I don't want anyone else hurt."

_Will she was having a flashback. She realizes what's really going on now._

_I get that, T, but that's why she attacked Hay Lin in the first place. She wasn't having a flashback when she punched her best friend. _

_True, but still-_

_No, Taranee, not yet._

Hay Lin gently stroked Irma's hair and spoke quiet words of comfort. Irma had stopped struggling, and was breathing hard. Her heart pounded mercilessly in her chest, as she tried to calm herself. She could hear Hay Lin's soft words, and they served to assuage her panic.

"Hay Lin, forgive me. I'm sorry..."

"Shh; no need for that. You didn't hurt me anyway. You hit like a girl."

Yan Lin's head snapped to her granddaughter, her eyes raking the porcelain face. Only then did she notice the bruise forming on the left side of Hay Lin's jaw. The tiny grandmother narrowed her eyes and tried not to snap at Irma.

Will spoke. "Irma we need to help you. If we let you up, will you promise not to try and kill us or run away?"

Irma swallowed hard and nodded.

Will's eyes met Taranee's. The black girl nodded silently.

Will swallowed and nodded. "Alright, people, let her up."

The four Guardians released their friend, and she sat up. Irma rubbed her left wrist, but appeared otherwise unhurt.

"Irma? Are you okay?" Cornelia asked, concern in her voice.

Irma turned her beautiful eyes to Cornelia's and nodded slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I saw the Mage...or rather I _ thought _I saw her. I don't know what's happening to me."

"Then tell us what _is_ happening, Irma," Yan Lin said. "We cannot help you if we don't know what's going on."

"I can't..."

"You can and you should. It's long overdue. Let your friends help you."

Irma stared at her hands, defeated. Perhaps they could help her; they certainly seemed to want to try. But she knew she would hurt her friends if she told them everything. Nonetheless, now was as good a time as any to let it all out.

"I'm afraid...all the time. I'm afraid to be alone, but afraid to be around people at the same time. Everything feels so much smaller than it was, and I often find myself unable to breathe. I don't feel safe unless I'm in the water, and I'm having nightmares every night. I can't get any sleep because they keep repeating over and over all night long."

Irma took a deep breath and plunged on. "I've taken to listening to death metal because I just want to die. I want it all to stop and I don't think it ever will...not until I'm dead. My emotional pain is so out of control, and I want some physical pain to match it."

The young Water Mistress took another deep breath and answered the question she knew everyone was silently asking. "If I have to concentrate on physical pain, then my emotional pain stops. Even though it's just for a little while, it's worth it. The death metal gives me a bad headache, so..."

Irma shrugged ashamedly. She couldn't believe she was actually admitting to all of this.

"I see Nerissa everywhere; in the halls at school, under my bed in my room, in my dreams. She's everywhere...I'll never be free of her, just like she said. I know she's dead, but she's also very much alive in me. I can't fight her anymore...I just want to give up. She beat me, she won, I'm totally cracked. She broke me, you guys; and I don't know how to put myself back together."

Completely sapped, Irma buried her face in her hands so her friends wouldn't see her haunted eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Will asked gently.

The question Irma was hoping no one would ask. How could she tell them the truth? And yet, how could she tell them a lie? She had come this far, so she decided to continue...no matter how much it hurt.

"Because I blame you guys for what happened as much as I blame Nerissa. I blame Will in particular because she let them take me. She didn't find me. She made the decision to put me through the Joining. She gave the order to help the Mage. All of this helped to destroy my mind. The physical pain I think I could handle...it's the constant mental agony that hurts the most."

Will was speechless. All eyes had turned to her, each pair filled with sympathy and shock.

Irma couldn't bring herself to look at her leader. "I'm sorry, Will, but that's the truth. That's why I didn't tell you guys. That's why you can't understand...because you helped make me this way."

Will felt as if she had just been punched. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish. She wanted nothing more than to run and hide, but this was about Irma.

"I'm...I'm glad you told me, Irma," Will finally managed. "I'm sorry for my role in what happened to you. I have no excuses and no defense. I screwed up."

"Yeah, Red, you did. But I don't want you or anyone else to feel like I do, so stop beating yourself up. It happened and now I have to live with it. By now you know I lied to you back on Candracar a few weeks ago; but it's what you needed to hear at the time. Someday I'll be able to forgive you...but not today."

"Admitting something like this was hard for you, Irma," Yan Lin said. "Now that it is out in the open, perhaps you can begin to heal. Let your friends make amends by helping you get through this."

"How? How can they do that? They can't begin to understand what it's like to live like this. How many times have any of you wished for something to stop so badly you would do literally _anything_ to make it stop? I begged them, _begged them_ to stop hurting me. But they didn't stop; no, they just kept whipping me, burning me, cutting me, trying to pull my wings off. I was beaten mercilessly by Frost, carved up by Miranda, electrocuted by Nerissa. I survived all of that; I healed from all of that. But this constant mental anguish...I can't heal from that, and I don't believe anyone can help me."

This was the first time Irma had actually talked about what was done to her. Hay Lin had tears in her eyes as she listened to Irma's anguished descriptions. She knew it had to be the most awful thing ever, but she wasn't willing to let her best friend give up.

"We can help you bear the burden, Irma. We can be here when it all becomes too much. Maybe we can't understand what it's like to be tortured in every way possible, but we can understand that we love you and want to help you in any way we can. Please let us."

Irma just shook her head in defeat. She wasn't going to talk any of them out of it, and truth be told it was actually a little comforting to know she wasn't alone.

"But what's happening to me?"

"You have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Cornelia answered calmly. "PTSD, as it's called, is a pretty debilitating condition. The fact that you're not in a mental institution or on drugs is a testament to your strength. You're stronger than you think, Irma, you're going to get through this; and we're going to be here every step of the way."

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?"

Taranee nodded. "It explains your flashbacks, your nightmares, your unwillingness to talk about what happened. Most PTSD sufferers would rather avoid talking about what happened because it doesn't hurt as much. But you need to get it out, Irma. Please tell us everything that happened to you."

Irma felt cornered, but she knew Taranee was right. So for the next hour, she described in great detail everything the Knights and Nerissa had done to her. Everything from the physical to the mental torture. She even described the Joining, and how she had experienced that horrific torture for weeks after it had stopped. By the time she was finished, Irma was trembling visibly, in spite of Hay Lin's efforts to comfort her.

"Irma, I know I'm the last person you want to have here right now, but I do know what the Joining is like. I went through it to heal my face, remember?"

"Yeah, Will, I remember, but I think you did that out of guilt more than anything. You knew I did it because you forced it on me, so you figured you had better do it because of that."

Will closed her eyes. Irma was right, she _had_ done the Joining partly out of guilt. Mostly it had been a desire to heal her facial injuries, but it was also because she felt responsible for Irma's mental trauma. Her friend had been strong enough to experience it, the least Will could do was experience it with her.

"Yes, Irma, that was part of it, but not all of it. I felt responsible for what happened to you, and I felt I could help you by experiencing what you did. Was I wrong?"

Irma looked into her leader's brown eyes. So much hurt and stress...Irma felt terrible for her. "No, Red, you weren't wrong. I guess you _can_ understand that part of it. I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know, I know," Will said, laying her hand alongside Irma's cheek. "You don't have to say it. Whatever you think of me, I can handle it; I just want to help you in any way I can. Will you let me in?"

"Will you let us all in?" Cornelia asked.

Irma's eyes filled with tears. Her friends hadn't abandoned her even though she blamed them for her mental anguish. They truly wanted to help her. Her heart suddenly felt like it would explode. She took Will's hand and squeezed it gently.

"I don't feel like I can ask for your help; not after you know how I feel. Why would you want to help me after that?"

"Oh gee, I don't know, because you're our friend maybe?" Cornelia said, her blue eyes dancing.

"We know it's been hard for you," Taranee chimed in, "and we want to help. We do feel responsible for what happened and we want to help set it right."

"Irma, we love you and we don't want to see you hurt anymore," Hay Lin said gently. "We may not be able to take the pain away, but we can help to dull it so it doesn't rule your life."

"We are all disturbed by what happened to you," Yan Lin said. "We all need to be here for you now. And so we shall be if you will let us."

Irma couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and she let them flow freely. "Guys, I need help. I have nowhere else to turn. Please, in spite of myself, will you help me?"

As one, the Guardians and Mrs. Lin fell on Irma and hugged her tightly. It wouldn't take the pain away, but it was a start.

--

**And there it is...the long-awaited intervention. Hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate any and all reviews. Thanks for reading. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome to the next chapter of What Price Vengeance. Thanks to everyone who is reading and in particular to my reviewers: Darev; XV-Dragon, Cartoonloverfan101; Nerd4eva; Ice Silver Crystal; Nemrut; Lost Prince; AJ; Wolfgurl211; Crowofdawn; Starwin; DayDreamer9; Krystal of Nol; and Shocklance. Thank you all for supplying your thoughts and encouragement. **

**Thanks again to my editor and friend Visigoth29527. I appreciate your help and your efforts.**

**Now without further ado, may I present: **

**Chapter 8**

Nerissa sat in meditation, gazing through the eyes of a Guardian's mind. She saw the child struggle with her parents, and how she treated them with disrespect. She saw how the child craved the presence of water, and how it made her feel safe. She saw how the child caused herself pain to block out the mental images that plagued her mind.

This was exactly how Nerissa wanted the whelp to feel...helpless, angry, and alone. She knew the Guardian's mind was already severely damaged, and Nerissa wished for nothing more than to damage it further. So far, her plan was working. The girl would turn on her friends and break up the Guardians forever. If Nerissa pushed hard enough, the urchin might even kill some of them.

Then she saw how the child's friends managed to reach out to her in Shell Cave...and Nerissa was furious. The nightmares were supposed to keep the Guardian from seeking help from her friends. After all, if she was dangerous to them, wouldn't the child want to stay as far away from them as possible? She had been willing to allow herself to be killed when she had nearly murdered Raythor; so why, seeing how she could murder her friends, had she allowed herself to be comforted by them?

Nerissa knew she had miscalculated. The Guardian refused to break completely, and the witch could see she would have to work harder. Fortunately, she had everything she needed in order to break the girl...and the sorceress vowed not to be defeated again.

--

The Guardians sat in a circle around Irma, lending silent support to their damaged friend. None of them could truly understand all the girl had been through, but they knew they were the only ones who could help her. The fact that she had just asked for that help warmed every heart in the cave.

But one of the Guardians was distracted, and her thoughts turned inwards. Will was trying to concentrate on her needy friend, but she found it impossible. That friend had just admitted to blaming Will for everything that had happened to her...for all the pain and suffering she had endured. Irma blamed her for the initial capture, for not effecting a rescue sooner, and for her physical and mental suffering. Irma blamed her for _all_ of it.

Will wrapped her arms around her shoulders and tried not to think of herself at a time like this. Unfortunately, she found it impossible. She had only know Irma for a little over a year, but in that time, the auburn-haired girl had treated her like a best friend. She had been the first of the Guardians to truly accept her as a leader and a friend; she had never questioned Will on the battlefield, nor had she ever doubted the redhead's sincerity. When Cornelia had been angry with Will's decision not to tell Elyon the truth about her identity, it was Irma who defended her leader.

Will's constant feelings of inadequacy increased as she recalled Irma's words: _you helped make me this way. _She tried to convince herself it wasn't true, that it was just a damaged part of Irma's mind. But inside the young Guardian leader _knew_ it was true, and she knew it _was _all her fault. She should have done more to prevent her team from being separated during a battle. She should have done more to rescue her friend from the clutches of her enemies. She should have done more to protect that friend from further harm after she was finally rescued.

As it was, Will had allowed her friend to be tortured to death by Nerissa, then to be brought back to life in the most hellish way possible. Will had been questioning herself for that decision for weeks. How could she now justify that decision to herself and everyone else? Irma had just basically told her she had made the wrong choice; how could Will live with herself now?

The young Guardian leader closed her eyes and tried to drive these thoughts from her mind. She had done a very bad thing, and caused one of her dearest friends an unspeakable amount of suffering. She wished the earth would open up and swallow her.

_You can't beat yourself up like this, Will._

Will jumped as Taranee's telepathic voice invaded her somber thoughts.

_Taranee! You scared me..._

_You're scaring me, too. I don't like the direction your thoughts are taking._

_Since when do you eavesdrop like this?_

_Since I became worried about you. Irma just dropped a bombshell on you. Looks like I was right to worry..._

Will sighed quietly. _I just want to die, T. How could I have been so wrong?_

_You weren't wrong, Will. When this is all over, and Irma's mind has quieted a little, she'll agree with what you did. Besides I don't think she really blames you like that; it's just her anger and her pain talking._

_I don't care what it is, she's right. I failed her completely. And we're not talking just a little secret I accidentally let slip or something. No, this is her life that I've screwed up. Her entire life! _

_Will..._

_First I let that hag torture her to death, then I brought her back so she could live in Hell forever. I forced it on her...what gave me the right to do that?_

_Will..._

_Then I helped that bitch destroy her mind because I just couldn't trust Irma over someone we really didn't know. _

_Will, please..._

_THEN I couldn't even support her enough to go through the Joining to fix my face. I had to be pushed into it by fear and guilt. Everything Irma said was right; I'm no friend if I could put someone through all of this suffering. I don't deserve to be the leader, I don't deserve to be her friend, I don't even deserve to live._

_Will, stop it! I don't ever want to hear you saying those things about yourself again! You had a choice to make, and you made it. That's it; end of story. You chose to save a life...how can that be wrong?_

_But at what cost, Taranee? Look at her...she's barely functioning as a human being. She's having nightmares every night, listening to death metal to give herself a headache, fighting with her parents, getting locked in her room, ignoring her schoolwork. Tell me how this is beneficial._

_It's beneficial because she's alive, Will. She has a chance to overcome all of this as long as she has us. She's gonna get through this, and we're gonna be here every step of the way. She needs her friends...including you! She will be stronger because of this, and one day she'll thank you for not letting her die._

_Right, she'll __**really**__ thank me someday for putting her through all of this. It's pure hell; I know that and I'm not even the one going through it. You can read her thoughts and feel her emotions, to some extent. You tell me how she's really doing._

_You know how she's doing, Will. She's messed up and her head is a jumbled mess. I can't read anything from her right now._

_Nothing at all?_

_Nothing at all._

_Isn't that a little unusual? _

_Yeah, but not for Irma, lately. There's just so much pain and horror...it's all she can think about right now. The nightmares aren't helping, either. _

_See? That just confirms I made the wrong choice. I should have done what Cornelia said and just let her go. It would have been more merciful._

_It also would have been the wrong choice. What do you think that would have done to Hay Lin? To all of us? And how would we have explained it to Irma's parents? It also would have broken up the Guardians, and who knows what shape the universe would be in right now? _

_But all of this is considering other people...none of it is considering Irma. So I made the right choice for everyone else. I made the wrong choice for the only person who should have mattered...Irma._

_Will, Irma will get over her damage; you need to get over yours, too. Someday, Irma will realize she doesn't truly blame you or any of us for what happened. Someday, she'll put the blame where it truly lies...and that's with Nerissa. Think about it; who captured Irma in the first place?_

_Nerissa._

_And who killed Irma?_

_Nerissa, but..._

**_AND_**_ who put the spell on Irma?_

_Nerissa, but..._

_And who saved Irma's life?_

_Neriss, uh, I mean, me, I guess._

_That's right, _**_YOU_**_! You saved Irma's life four times._

_Four times?_

_Uh huh. One: You came up with a plan to rescue her and that plan worked almost perfectly. So you got her out of the hag's clutches before even more damage could be done._

_Two: You shocked her heart after it had stopped while we were all still buried in the cave-in. Had you not done that, Irma would have stayed dead right there._

_Three: You made the decision to put her through the Joining. That healed her injuries and allowed her to survive._

_Four: You surrendered the Heart of Candracar back on Mount Thanos. Had you not done that, Frost would have killed her right in front of us. _

_Taranee, what are you doing?_

_What do you mean?_

_Why are you doing this? Trying to make me out to be a hero?_

_Because you are a hero, Will. You saved Irma's life and someday she's gonna realize that. You did everything you could given the information you had. You're fourteen years old, Will. No teenager should have to make the kinds of decisions you were forced to make. Give yourself a break and stop beating yourself up. _

Will's eyes began to tear up slightly. _What did I do to deserve a friend like you, Taranee?_

_You moved to Heatherfield. Now how about you stop blaming yourself and see what you can do to help the rest of us help Irma? That will make you feel better..._

Will glanced a silent 'thank you' to Taranee and began to pay better attention to what was going on.

Hay Lin had been doing most of the talking. Will seemed to be upset and Taranee had a faraway look in her eye. Cornelia sat quietly, listening.

So far, Irma had been pretty open about what was going on. She had already admitted to trying to harm herself physically to make the emotional anguish go away. Hay Lin was grateful that it was just headaches and not something more drastic like cutting. She shuddered to think that if this intervention had not taken place, Irma may well have resorted to cutting to ease her mental pain.

There was till one subject, however, that Irma had been expertly avoiding. Now Hay Lin was going to bring it up and see if she couldn't pry the details from her best friend.

"Tell us about your nightmares, Irma," Hay Lin said.

Irma closed her eyes and sighed heavily. No way was she going to tell them about her nightmares. How could she tell her friends that she dreamed of murdering them every night? The dream about Hay Lin still disturbed her the most, but drowning Cornelia and shoving Will off a cliff still haunted her waking thoughts. No, it would just freak them out and they might abandon her if they knew her murderous thoughts. She had to lie.

"They're just about all the torture and stuff. I'm afraid to fall asleep because I see Nerissa, or Frost, or Miranda. They keep coming to me...and hurting me. Sometimes I swear I can feel Miranda's knife, or Frost's whip, or Nerissa's lightning. I can hear the taunting, I can feel Frost and Miranda pulling and cutting my wings, I can see Nerissa getting ready to launch a lightning attack."

Irma shuddered and became very quiet. "I can still feel my insides on fire from that lightning. I can still hear my own screams in my head. I remember begging them all to stop...and I'm ashamed of myself."

Cornelia moved up behind Irma and placed her arms around her friend's shoulders. "Hey, none of that. You did nothing wrong, and you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"But why me? Why did she pick me?" Irma asked quietly.

"I may be able to shed a little light on that," Yan Lin said. "She could not pick Will, because her plan all along was to force her to surrender the Heart to her victim. She could not pick Taranee because she needed a telepath to be free in order to find you. Beyond that, I do not know."

"Maybe she just played Rock, Paper, Scissors with the rest of us and your name came up," Hay Lin said, hoping to cut the tension a little.

"She probably picked you because you presented the greatest challenge," Cornelia said, still holding Irma's shoulders. "Think about it. Hay Lin is a lot more fragile than you, and I'm a lot more vain than you. She might have accidentally killed Hay Lin before the time was right; and I would just have screamed for help the second I could. There would have been no fun for the old bag in that."

"Fun? You think she tortured me because it was _fun_?

Cornelia gave Irma's shoulders a squeeze. "Someone like that...it wouldn't surprise me."

"The Nerissa I knew would have shunned hurting another living being," Yan Lin spoke up. "But, admittedly, the Nerissa I knew is long gone. Her mind was likely damaged while she languished in her prison on Mount Thanos. She turned to vengeance instead of forgiveness. She turned bitter and angry instead of serene."

"Well duh," Cornelia rolled her eyes. "I would too if a bunch of people I thought I could trust shut me up in an icy prison."

"But she killed someone," Hay Lin said. "She deserved what she got."

"I'm not saying she didn't; it just seems to me like everyone should have seen something like this coming," Cornelia answered.

"Nerissa felt wronged by the Council's decision, it is true," Yan Lin said. "But not even the Oracle could have foreseen this level of evil in her. Nerissa was once my best friend, and a truer friend I have never had since. What she did tore my heart out, and I was angry with her. I did not support her against the Council and I fear that may have contributed to her downfall."

"You're not blaming yourself are you, grandma?"

"No, my little Hay Lin, no. I'm just merely trying to offer insight into your enemy."

"So she picked me because I would be the most fun?" Irma asked in horror.

"It is a possibility," Yan Lin answered. "It seems likely that Nerissa would want to hurt her old friends as much as possible; this would certainly do it."

"Hmph, doesn't seem like the Council is that upset by it. Only Luba, and Halinor seem to give a damn."

"The others care for all you Guardians in their own way. It is important that they not become attached to you girls. Luba and Halinor have managed to break that rule. I know Hali thinks very highly of you, Irma, and that Luba, too, is quite fond of you."

"Fluffy? Fond of _me_? How could she be fond of me when she tried to kill me with that evil little obstacle course?"

Hay Lin giggled. "Maybe you just grew on her."

"You mean like a tumor?"

Cornelia laughed this time and squeezed Irma's shoulders again. "That's more the Irma I'm used to."

Before anyone else could say anything, Hay Lin's cell phone rang. The smallest Guardian rushed to the mouth of the cave and pulled the phone from her bag.

"Hello?"

"Hi, mom. What's up?"

A pause, then... "You mean she's not at home?"

Hay Lin knit her brow and stared at Irma. "No, I haven't seen her. She said she had to get right home."

"Still at Shell Cave, studying. Hold on, I'll ask the other girls."

Hay Lin covered the phone with her hand and ran back to the girls.

"It's my mom," she whispered. "Irma's parents called looking for her. Apparently she's not home."

"Well of course I'm not home; I'm here with you guys spilling my darkest secrets."

"But we sent your Astral Drop home. Where is it?" Will asked, confused.

"Maybe it got lost?" Taranee guessed.

"Whatever happened, Irma's in trouble now," Cornelia said. "We have to come up with an excuse."

Hay Lin put the phone back to her ear. "No one has seen her, mom. As far as we know, she went home. Do you want us to help look for her?"

There was another pause while Hay Lin listened at the phone. "The police? Don't you think that's a bit drastic?"

All the girls stood up immediately. Irma ran for the mouth of the cave, the others trailing after.

"Okay, mom, we'll come right home. Bye."

Hay Lin disconnected the call. "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know but I have to get home quick before my dad calls the cops."

"But what will you tell them?" Cornelia asked as Irma sprinted away.

"Who cares? I just have to get home!"

"Will, we should stop her," Cornelia said. "We were just starting to get somewhere."

Will shook her head. "No, Cornelia, let her go. She's right; she needs to get home before the police get invoiced."

"Then we should all show up at her house to lend our support. We could say it was our fault," Hay Lin suggested.

"If we do that, Irma's parents will never let us see her again," Will answered solemnly.

The girls were quiet as Irma disappeared from sight. "She's on her own isn't she?" Cornelia said.

Will nodded sadly. "Yeah, she is."

--

Irma rushed home as fast as she could. Somehow she had to stop her parents from calling the police. She wished she hadn't lost her cell phone; then her parents could have simply called her. They would be mad, but at least they wouldn't be panicking right now. She willed her legs to run faster.

As she approached her house, she could already see a squad car in her driveway and a patrolman talking to her parents on the front porch. _Damn, I'm too late!_ Irma slowed to a quick walk and tried to look nonchalant as she strolled up to her front door.

Her mother saw her first and rushed past the patrolman.

"Tom, it's Irma! She's alright!"

Tom Lair's head snapped around and looked in the direction his wife was running. He saw the woman engulf a young teenager in a hug...a teenager that looked a lot like his daughter.

"I don't believe it," Tom said, shaking his head. "Looks like I don't need that APB after all, Charlie. Thanks for coming all the same."

"No problem, Sergeant. Hope you guys will be okay."

"We'll be fine now, Charlie. Thanks again."

Charlie nodded and paced back to his patrol car. With a final look at mother and daughter, he stepped inside the car and sped off.

Tom Lair crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Anna continued to hug her daughter. "Where have you been? We've been so worried."

Irma couldn't think of any excuses yet, so she played dumb. "I'm fine, mom."

Anna disengaged herself and looked sternly at her daughter. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady." She took Irma's hand and led her to the porch.

Tom held the door and followed his wife and daughter inside.

"Sit down please, Irma," the big sergeant said.

Irma swallowed hard and sat down on the sofa.

Both parents loomed over the teenager, glaring. "First of all, are you alright?"

Irma nodded. "Yeah, dad, I'm fine."

"You weren't kidnapped or anything?"

Irma actually _had_ been kidnapped in a way; but somehow she didn't think that's what her father was talking about. "Kidnapped? No, of course not."

"Then where the _hell_ have you been, young lady?" Tom thundered.

Irma looked at her mother, her eyes pleading for help. Anna simply narrowed her eyes and glared back.

"Answer me!"

Irma jumped and knew she was in serious trouble. Her mind raced for an excuse that would explain her absence. She couldn't implicate her friends, so she latched onto a lie that would have grave consequences for her, but would save her friends. "I went to the mall and bummed around for a while."

"You went to the mall..." Tom repeated. "You went to the _mall_?!"

"I had to get out of the house for a while. You guys have kept me cooped up all weekend and I needed some time to think. So, yeah, I went to the mall."

"Do you know what it means to be grounded?" Tom asked dangerously. "It means you get your ass right home after school and you sit in your room doing your homework. It doesn't mean you go to the mall and have a good time at our expense."

"Irma, we called the police because we were terrified for you," Anna said. "We thought someone had taken you. The implications of that are..." Anna was unable to finish.

"Nobody took me; I'm fine. I just needed some space."

"Well it's the last space you're gonna get, young lady," Tom said angrily. "We were going to give you the key to your room tonight. We thought it might be nice for you to have a lock on your door to keep Chris out when your friends were over. But that's not going to happen now...welcome to being locked in your room, part two."

"Dad-"

"Upstairs, now!"

"You're overreacting, dad!"

"NOW...before I forget I'm your father and not your arresting officer!"

"Mom, please..."

"You gave us all a scare, young lady. It's obvious you can't be trusted if you would do something like this. Go to your room...now."

Angry with herself and with her friends, Irma stood and glared at both her parents. "You're both overreacting, and you're treating me like a child."

"You're acting like a child, Irma. What choice do we have when you disobey us?" Anna said. "There are consequences when you make bad decisions, and these are the consequences for choosing the mall over your parents' wishes. And choosing not to answer your cell phone when we called and called, was also a bad decision."

"I've lost my phone. How could I answer what I didn't have?"

Tom sighed. "Now you can't take care of your things. It was your responsibility to keep track of that phone. That you've lost it just shows more of your irresponsibility."

Irma gritted her teeth. She had known this would be the result, but it still seemed so unfair. Judging from the look on her father's face, arguing further would have been a mistake. With a last glare at her parents, she tromped upstairs to her room and slammed the door. Seconds later, she heard the key turn in the lock. With a growl, she kicked the door, then threw herself onto her bed.

She was a prisoner again. If it wasn't Nerissa it was her parents. She was tired of always being a captive, but what could she do? She couldn't fight her parents, and even though Nerissa was dead, the effects of her captivity with the old bag would never go away. Irma thought, not for the first time, that she would never be free of the witch's clutches.

Her anger and fear threatening to overwhelm her, Irma grabbed her headphones and pulled them over her ears. She flipped the switch and let the awful music take her away from reality. She knew she had promised her parents she wouldn't listen to it anymore, but she needed it now. She needed the noise to take her concentration away from the horrors she had experienced at the hands of Nerissa.

As the strains of death metal pounded her brain, she wondered vaguely what it would be like to die...

--

That night, Hay Lin dreamed an awful dream. She saw Irma, her wrists slashed, bleeding on the floor. Hay Lin awoke and screamed.

--

**And there it is. I hope y'all enjoyed it. If you have a moment, I would love to know what you think. Thanks for your support and for reading. Cheers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome to Chapter 9. I wish to thank all of you who reviewed: Wolfgurl211; DayDreamer9; Sportsman; Crowofdawn; XV Dragon; Cartoonloverfan101; Nemrut; Nightroad; Lost Prince; Ice Silver Crystal; AJ; Nerd4eva; ZestyChicken2; Starwin; Darev; Spyder; Laserleg; and Chase Young's Daughter. Thank you all so very much, my friends; your support means the world to me.**

**Now for my editor and friend, Visigoth. He told me last week he was unimpressed with the way I did not gush over him at the beginning of Chapter 8. I shall now attempt to remedy that error. Visigoth...THANKS!!**

**Okay, that's enough. Now on with:**

**Chapter 9**

Luba paced the Chamber of the Aurameres, her normal calm demeanor shaken by the attack on Meridian's Queen. Who could do such a thing? Why would anyone wish to harm the young girl that now rested in the Fortress Between Worlds? How could someone have broken the castle's defenses and drawn close enough to poison the queen?

It had to be an inside job, Luba decided; who else but one of Elyon's trusted advisors could have pulled off such a devious plot? The cat was of the opinion that someone close to the young queen had to be responsible for the attack. An opinion she had tried to share with the Council...only to be rejected by its members.

"You are no longer one of us, Luba," Tibor had said. "Hold your tongue."

Luba figured she should have seen it coming; most of her former friends had not spoken one word to her since her sentencing. Only Althor had dropped by to visit on occasion. He, at least, seemed to think she had gotten a raw deal. He had been the only one to dissent at her "trial;" an action for which the big cat was grateful.

But even his visits failed to assuage the growing apprehension in her breast. She felt that someone close to Elyon had deliberately attacked her, had tried to _kill_ her. Surely the Council had to see that, too. The Oracle's wisdom had to shine through the confusion and illuminate the truth that was staring them all in the face.

A deadly coma still held the young queen hostage; as such, Elyon was unable to give them any first-hand information as to what had happened to her. Though the Oracle knew of the poison that coursed through the girl's veins, the cure remained elusive as a shadow. As far as anyone knew, there was no antidote for the particular venom that had felled the young queen. Only the Oracle's quick action had saved the girl's life...but the coma may prove to be fatal anyway.

With the queen's recovery still in doubt, the Council had focused their efforts on reversing the coma. Thus far, their efforts had been in vain.

Luba was no healer; she was a warrior unequaled by any who resided on Candracar. As such, she valued action over contemplation. Her skills could best be utilized by tracking down the attacker and disposing of him in spectacular and violent fashion. But the Council's ruling of a few days ago had made that desire a fleeting dream and nothing more. Barred from assisting in the investigation, Luba had taken to pacing endlessly around the Chamber of the Aurameres.

In less than a week, everything she had ever known had been swept away. She was about to be banished from her long-time home as soon as a replacement Caretaker could be found. Where would she go? She had lived on Candracar for so long, she had no idea where she would even fit in anymore. She couldn't return to her home-world; she had no idea if it even existed anymore. Even if it did, Luba found she no longer felt the bloodlust that used to grip her in her younger years.

In a perverse way, she was a little relieved that Meridian's Queen had been felled; the Oracle had been forced to devote all his time to searching for a way to help Elyon. That meant he had no time to search for Luba's replacement. Not that Luba wished the young queen ill; on the contrary, she had the greatest respect and admiration for the girl.

But Luba did not want to leave her home, either. If it took a cruel poisoning to delay that unhappy event, then Luba found herself a little grateful.

The Chamber doors opened, interrupting the cat's silent musings. Althor strode into the Chamber, looking sour and spent. His stark-white beard seemed somehow gray and what was left of his hair hung limply around his ears. Hi normally vibrant eyes looked tired and worn. Even his gait seemed slower and forlorn.

"Luba," the dwarf said tiredly, "you seem agitated. What's the matter?"

The big cat resisted the urge to snap at the dwarf-man. What was wrong? Was he serious? Still, it seemed Althor was her only friend, so she softened her voice as she replied.

"I worry for the young Queen of Meridian...and for myself, my friend."

Althor nodded. "I worry, too, Luba. The Queen isn't responding to anything we try. Not even the Oracle is able to wake her. I fear she may never wake up."

"Do not allow those thoughts to enter your mind; they will only cloud your much-needed judgment when the time comes to act. As I have been forbidden to assist in this matter, you must be the spear upon which the enemies of Meridian impale themselves."

"Pardon me?"

"I am forbidden to hunt these would-be murderers. As such, you must hunt them for me. You must convince the Council to listen to reason. Only someone close to the queen could have perpetuated this curse. Surely they must see this."

With an exhausted sigh, Althor pinched the bridge of his nose between his stubby thumb and index finger. "Honestly, Luba, I'm not sure what they think anymore. All our efforts have been focused on rousing the queen from her slumber. Personally, I think little thought has been given to the perpetrator of this crime. I wonder if it even matters who did it if the queen dies. Finding the bastard won't bring her back."

"Have you forgotten your sense of justice, my friend? Have you labored so long over the dying mistress that you no longer care to find the one responsible? Come, Althor, the fire of justice must still burn in your heart."

"The fires have all but been extinguished, what with the Council's decision to banish you. Honestly, my heart hasn't really been in it since that awful day. Without you around the fortress, things will be different...empty."

Luba almost smiled. "My heart leaps for your friendship, but you must not allow yourself to be ruled by melancholy. You must remain focused on your task at hand; the queen must survive, else all the Guardians fought for on Meridian will be for naught. You must find the one responsible for the attack, else it could happen again."

Althor nodded. "I know, but I feel so tired right now. We have been trying everything we know to rouse the queen, to no avail. We have been concentrating so much on saving her life, that we haven't had time to think of searching for the perpetrator. He may never be found at this rate."

Luba was silent for a moment as she allowed Althor's words to sink in. It was inconceivable to her that the Council would refuse to even _look_ for the one responsible for the poisoning, much less launch a full investigation into the matter. Her sense of justice burned brighter than ever before, and she was determined to force someone to listen to her.

"Althor, you must be my mouthpiece. You must convince the Council to investigate. If the Council cannot spare its resources, the send the Guardians to Meridian to determine what happened. No one would hide information from them, and with the Fire Guardian being a telepath, lying would be all but impossible."

"Luba-"

"Althor, please, you must do this. You must convince the Council to agree, lest this happen to another; one who is not strong enough to fight off the venom. It may be the only release for the Queen of Meridian will be the sleep of death; but shall we allow that possibility to imprison us in this fortress? Shall we stand by and do nothing to protect the citizens of Meridian? We have the power to act through the Guardians. Should we not take upon us the mantle of justice and allow them to be our avatars?"

Althor opened his mouth to reply, then stopped. Her words had merit and he knew they rang with truth. They _did_ have the power to act, and they _did _have instruments to investigate.

"Luba," Althor finally said, "your words pierce my heart. I will take your suggestions to the Council and present them to the best of my abilities."

"Present them as your own words, my friend; for the Council is deaf to mine."

Althor nodded. "I understand."

Luba nodded once; she was satisfied she had done all she could to help. Only time would tell if it was enough.

--

Cornelia walked home from Shell Cave alone. She did not feel like sharing in the companionship of her friends at the moment. Now that the intervention was finished, her thoughts turned to the issue that pressed most upon her mind: Elyon.

Right now her best friend lay in a coma, the result of a cruel poisoning. Cornelia was no doctor, but she knew that some comas were irreversible. She prayed that would not be the case with Elyon.

Truth be told, Cornelia's every waking moment had been consumed by thoughts of her friend. Though she had done her best to be supportive and insightful during the intervention, her mind had not really there. A part of her was even now on Candracar with her best friend, dying next to her. Tears filled the young Guardian's eyes as she walked slowly home.

All the frustrations of the past week started to crash around Cornelia's head, and she quickened her pace. She thought of the horror in Irma's voice as she had related all the Knights of Vengeance had done to her during her week of hell. In her mind's eye, she saw the pain in those beautiful blue eyes as Irma recounted the trauma of living with the aftermath of terrible torture. Cornelia felt her friend's pain as she struggled to explain her mental and emotional damage.

The blonde Guardian's pace quickened even more. She shuddered to think of all Irma had gone through and was still going through. Was it really possible that she would truly remain Nerissa's prisoner forever? Unable to find any help, Irma had endured silently...and has fallen into darkness. Even now, the young water witch drowned in the blackest abyss; one from which she may never return. What if they never got their friend back? What if Irma was so badly damaged from her experiences that she never recovered? What would happen to the Guardians then? What would happen to Irma?

And then there was Elyon. Cornelia didn't think she could survive without her best friend of over ten years. What would she do if she were forced to face life without her? The thought pierced the Guardian's mind and heart like a white-hot arrow. It seemed so surreal; like she was floating in a cloudless sky above the earth. She felt as if she was watching herself from afar, as if she wasn't really a part of the horror breaking over her soul like a murderous wave.

And Will...Cornelia had heard what Irma had said to Will just a few minutes ago. Could she truly blame the Guardian Leader for all she had experienced? For all she had been forced to endure? Cornelia knew her leader would gladly trade places with Irma if it meant the young Water Guardian wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Did that fact even matter to Irma? What if their friendship couldn't survive? What if Nerissa, in killing their friend, had also succeeded in killing her relationship with the other Guardians? How could they continue to function as a cohesive unit if one of their number didn't trust the others?

Cornelia started to run then. If she ran fast enough, perhaps she could outrace the demons that plagued her mind. She ran and ran as fast as she could, but her thoughts only became more desperate. Her mind betrayed her stoic demeanor and ruined her calm exterior. She was crying when she threw herself against a building and began to pound her fists against the wall. She screamed in frustration as she threw her hands against the barrier, not caring about the bruises she was inflicting on herself.

The blonde wondered, vaguely, if this was a little how Irma felt. Emotionally tortured, her friend preferred physical pain to the roiling agony of her own thoughts. Betrayed by her own mind, how could she have continued to function? Cornelia suddenly gained a deeper respect for Irma Lair.

_Get hold of yourself, Cornelia, _the young girl silently scolded herself. _Now is not the time to fall apart. Irma needs you, the Guardians need you, and most of all, Elyon needs you. _

Cornelia took a deep, fortifying breath and struggled to reign herself in. She had never before experienced such raw emotions, and they frightened her somewhat. She took more deep breaths and tried to think of something soothing. Thoughts of her Elemental Chamber on Candracar leaped to her mind. The peaceful grotto in which she slept, the fantastic rainbow of gems, the beautiful trees that helped to protect her.

The majesty of the Chamber served to calm her thoughts and slow her rapidly-beating heart. She knew she needed to do something to help Elyon. She had no illusions of being the one to discover a cure for her friend; after all, if the Oracle didn't know of one, where was a high-school girl supposed to look?

No, perhaps Cornelia couldn't find a cure, but she _could_ stay by her friend and offer support. Even if Elyon was in a coma, perhaps she would be able to feel the Guardian's presence somehow. It just might be what the young queen would need to fight off the effects of her poison-induced slumber.

With a plan firmly etched in her mind, Cornelia set off for Will's apartment. She would ask her leader to take her to her friend-in-need, and there leave her until said friend recovered. An Astral Drop could substitute for her while she was away, even if the Drop didn't quite have Cornelia's perfect hair or flashing smile.

--

"I'll get it!" Will shouted as the doorbell rang through the apartment. Susan Vandom shook her head. Why did her daughter feel the need to shout when her mother was right there in the same room? Still, Will's enthusiasm was better than her melancholy of the last few days.

Susan couldn't quite figure her daughter out. The past few weeks had seen a quieter, more subdued Will. At times it was positively depressing. Yet at others, the girl was the same bubbly, happy kid Susan had known for fourteen years. Lately, Will had paid more attention to her mother, going so far as to seem a little clingy even. It was almost as if her daughter had been abducted by aliens then switched. Not that the middle-aged woman was complaining; she rather liked this new teenager. Still, she wished she knew what was troubling her daughter.

Will had come home that evening crying. She said she had gotten into a fight with one of her friends at school and that she had said some pretty hurtful things. Susan had held the trembling girl until she had stopped weeping. Will had been unwilling to explain the details, but Susan imagined they must have been pretty bad to cause tears of that magnitude.

Mother and daughter had talked only briefly, when Will had decided to get out her homework. She had sprawled on the living room floor while Susan made peanut-butter-and-jelly fro dinner. It was the only bit of her cooking her daughter could stomach. Mrs. Vandom wished she were a better cook, but who had the time to learn? A single mother raising a teenager and working a demanding job? Something had to be sacrificed, and cooking was it.

Now the petite woman laid aside her magazine as her teenager answered the door. Cornelia Hale stood at the doorway, her face looking somber and determined. Susan guessed her daughter had not been the only one involved in the argument at school.

"Hi Will," Cornelia said quietly. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Will opened the door wider and stood aside. "Sure, C. Come on in."

The tall blonde walked over the threshold and nodded to Susan. "Hey Mrs. Vandom," the girl smiled weakly.

"Good evening, Cornelia," Mrs. Vandom replied, rising from the couch. She folded her arms across her chest. "You're not the one who hurt my daughter, are you?"

Cornelia creased her brow. "I don't think so..."

Glancing at her mom, Will shook her head. "No, Mom; Cornelia and I are fine."

"Good. Because if you weren't, I was going to have to put the fear of God into you."

Will ran a hand down her face. "Mom, you're embarrassing me."

Cornelia grinned in spite of herself and shrugged. "It's no big. It's just a mother bear protecting her cub. Her little Pink Poopy Perky Pumpkin."

Susan laughed and Will groaned, her face turning the color of her hair. She glowered at her friend. "Now _you're_ embarrassing me."

"What's that, Poopy?" Cornelia grinned.

As Will continued to glare, Susan cut in. "Would you girls like some lemonade?"

"No thanks, Mrs. Vandom. But do you mind if I borrow your daughter for a minute?"

"She still has to finish her homework, but I suppose I could spare her for a few minutes."

"Thanks," Cornelia replied, nodding at the woman.

Will led the way upstairs to her bedroom. As she closed the door, Cornelia let out a great sigh and sank onto the bed.

"Will, I'm a mess. I'm so worried about you, and Elyon, and Irma, I can't even think straight."

Will frowned. "Me? Why are you worried about me? I mean, I can understand being worried about Elyon and Irma, but why me?"

"Because of what Irma said to you and about you today. I saw the way you practically crumpled in Shell Cave, and I can see now you've been crying. For what it's worth, none of the rest of us blame you for what happened."

Will hugged herself and faced out her window. For a time, she said nothing; only immersed herself in her thoughts. Presently, she spoke.

"She was right, Cornelia," Will said quietly. "Irma was right about everything. It _is_ all my fault. If I hadn't been so selfish, Irma wouldn't be like this."

"No...she'd be dead. How can you call yourself selfish for wanting to save her life? Nerissa is the one to blame, here, Will; not you. She's the one who tortured Irma and caused all of this."

"Maybe, but Nerissa didn't put her through the Joining. Nerissa didn't betray her trust by allowing her biggest enemy to continue that torture indefinitely. Nerissa didn't try and pretend everything was okay because the alternative was too horrible to think about."

"No, Nerissa only killed her..._twice. _You're right...that's _much_ better than saving Irma's life. Will, Nerissa murdered our friend. You helped her come back to life. You made a terrible decision no one our age should have to make; and you made it quickly and alone. You did what was best for Irma."

"Did I? Did I really? Or did I do what was best for everyone else? I should have thought about the implications of Irma having to relive every second of her torture for a solid two weeks. Every day, every minute, would have been spent in sheer hell...and I did that to her. Not Nerissa, not the Oracle..._me_! _I _did that to her, and nothing can change that. I alone made the decision to throw her down to hell. And you know what's worse? I did it without even _thinking_ what it may do to Irma; I only thought of what it would do to the rest of us if I _didn't_ make that choice."

"I don't believe that," Cornelia shook her head. "I think you gave it some thought whether you realize it or not. You're not a psychiatrist, Will; you're a kid. How are you supposed to know about stuff like Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, or psychological trauma? You couldn't have known what would happen? All you knew was Irma was better off alive than dead."

"But is she? Look at her, Cornelia. She can barely function. She's so messed up inside she's actually hurting herself to make the emotional pain go away. How screwed up is that? And what are we supposed to do about it? Like you said, we're kids, not doctors."

"Will-"

"We have to tell someone, Cornelia. If we don't, Irma will only get worse."

"And who should we tell? Her parents? They would seriously freak out. They've already locked her in her room. What do you think they would do to her if they knew she could transform into a fairy with super-powers and multi-colored tights? What do you think they would do if they knew someone had tortured their daughter to death just for fun?"

"They would get her into a professional so she could get some help."

"No they wouldn't. They would have us all locked up in an institution for crazy people. Even if they believed us, the psychiatrist wouldn't. He would treat Irma for delusional behavior or something, but he sure wouldn't treat her PTSD. And I doubt Irma would tell him anything anyway. You know how long it took her to open up to us, her best friends. Do you really think she's going to trust a total stranger with the most humiliating and painful experience of her life?"

"But what else can we do?" Will wailed. "We can't help her. She need a professional, Cornelia. Taranee told me on the way home that people don't just get over PTSD. It's a daily struggle to go on living and functioning. Lots of people have to be on some kind of medication to help them deal with it all. If we don't tell someone the truth, she's never gonna get the help she needs."

Cornelia thought for a moment. Will had a good point...one with which she couldn't really argue. Irma did need help; much more than her friends could give her. Even if that help meant destroying the anonymity of the Guardians, was it worth it? On the one hand, Irma was their friend, and as her friends, wasn't it their responsibility to see that she had the best of all things? Yet on the other hand, if everyone knew the Guardians existed, and their identities, the girls' lives would be even tougher than they already were. Their parents would never let them pursue their duties as Guardians...not if those duties meant putting themselves in harm's way every day.

"Will we need to keep our anonymity intact. Our parents would ruin the Guardians forever if they knew. We have a duty to everyone in the universe; if we don't protect them form evil, then who will?"

"But who protects us? Who protects the protectors when we need help?"

"We have to depend on each other, Will. That and the Council are all we have."

Will snorted. "The Council. The Council is what put us all into this mess. They chose us as Guardians, and ever since, our lives have been a wreck. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have agreed to this."

"Will please don't say that. We need you to be our leader. In spite of what Irma said, we all trust you. I think the Aurameres chose really well, and I can't imagine a better girl for the job. Irma's just hurting right now; you know if she were thinking clearly she would never blame you for any of this."

"But that's just it...she's _not_ thinking clearly; and she may never think clearly again."

Cornelia stood and crossed the room to the window. She turned Will by her shoulders so she was facing her. "You can't think like that," Cornelia said firmly. "Irma is strong; she'll get through this. We can help by being strong for her and by supporting her whenever she needs it. Telling her parents, in my opinion, would be a huge mistake. Her dad's a cop, for crying out loud. He would go ballistic if he knew the truth. _All _of our parents would go ballistic if they knew the truth. The universe needs us, Will. We have to be the Guardians they deserve."

"Maybe the universe can just kiss my ass!" Will growled.

"Maybe it can," Cornelia replied. "But until that time comes we have a responsibility we can't ignore. The universe needs the Guardians to stop people like Phobos, and Nerissa, and whoever poisoned Elyon."

Will's face softened. "With everything that's been happening, I almost forgot about Elyon. You must be going nuts with worry."

Cornelia nodded and hugged herself. "Elyon is my best friend; it makes me shudder to think of her in a coma. What if she never wakes up? What would I do without her?"

Will nodded and hugged her friend. "The Oracle will find a way to help her."

"Maybe, but I still want to help."

"What do you want to do?"

"I can't think of anything to do other than just to be with her. Will, I _have_ to go to her. She needs me, and I need her. Maybe I can't do anything to help find a cure, but at least I can be there so she's not alone. Please, Will, fold me to Candracar. Let an Astral Drop take my place here in Heatherfield."

Will grimaced. "Cornelia, the last Astral Drop we made got lost or something. Are you sure you want to take that chance?"

"You can escort the thing to my house if you want to, but I need to go. Please, Will; I need your help."

Will sighed and dragged the Heart of Candracar out of her desk drawer. "Are you sure about this?"

Cornelia nodded.

"Alright; here goes nothing. Pord Lartsa."

A flash of light filled the bedroom as the Heart obeyed the command of its mistress. In a second, an exact copy of Cornelia Hale stood in the center of the room.

Cornelia quickly ran down a small list of instructions for the Drop. Completing her double's tutoring, the blonde turned to the redhead.

"I'm trusting you and the others to keep her out of trouble."

"We'll do the best we can, Cornelia. You be careful on Candracar, and send word if anything, and I mean _anything_, happens. Alright?"

"It's Candracar. The Council is there. What could happen?"

Will raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to remind her friend about getting pulverized by Nerissa and the Knights of Vengeance not many weeks ago on Candracar. Without a word, the redhead created a fold to the Fortress Between Worlds.

"I mean it, C; watch your back. Something about Elyon's poisoning feels wrong."

"Of course it's _wrong_, Will; my best friend was _poisoned_. What could be right about that?"

"You know what I mean. I can't put my finger on it, but something just feels...off." At Cornelia's look of confusion, Will let out an exasperated sigh. "Look I can't explain it. I just have a really bad feeling. In fact, I think I would feel better if you went in Guardian form."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. And don't try to talk me out of it. Guardians Unite!"

In a flash of rosy light, two young girls became two young women.

Will hugged Cornelia. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but..." Will sighed again. "Just be careful, alright?"

Cornelia nodded. "I'll be careful. And Will...thank you. This means a lot to me."

"Get out before I change my mind."

With a smile, Cornelia leaped through the fold.

Will closed the portal and changed herself back to her human form. Replacing the Heart in her drawer, the young Guardian Leader turned to the Astral Drop.

"Alright, Cornelia; let's get you home before your parents call out the National Guard."

The Astral Drop only smiled blankly.

--

**Okay, folks, thanks for reading. Please let me know what y'all think. Thanks in advance to everyone who reviews. And Visigoth...you are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are...WHAT?! It's my story I can sing if I want! Oh alright. Thanks again to everyone who makes this all possible. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome to the Pit, my friends. Sorry about the long absence, but I have a new chapter for you now. Thanks to all my reviewers: XV-Dragon; Nerd4eva; Wolfgurl211 (twice...hehe); Sokai; Cartoonloverfan101; AJ; Nightroad; Shocklance; Lost Prince; Darev; DayDreamer9; Nemrut; Ice Silver Crystal; Chase Young's Daughter; and Lily312. I appreciate all of you for your comments. **

**Thank you again to Visigoth29527 for all your support and great editing. A word of advice to you, though...don't go there, son. :)**

**Once again thanks to all who will read this and have supported my work. I appreciate your kindness and your support.**

**Now without further ado, may I present...**

**Chapter 10**

Irma awoke quickly, a scream dying on her lips before it received voice. Where was she? The terrified girl glanced about, her breath coming in quick, ragged gasps. It was dark, yet something seemed familiar about her surroundings. The window, the dresser, her bed...she was in her room.

With a relieved sigh, the teenager pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her pounding head to rest on them. It had all been a dream. A terrible, horrifying dream, but a dream, nonetheless.

She glanced at the clock on her bed table...3:23 AM. The girl wiped a bead of sweat off her upper lip and pushed her auburn hair out of her eyes. She remembered finally falling asleep at midnight, and waking up around 1:00 for no apparent reason. Then she had fallen back to sleep only to be awakened by a terrifying nightmare two hours later. The nightmares came every night, now. For the last solid week, she had experienced frightening visions of hurting her friends, her family, even herself. This last time it had been Taranee and Anna Lair starring in Irma's personal horror movie.

The young water witch sighed again and rolled out of bed. Padding silently across her carpeted floor, now free of clothing and other debris, she entered her bathroom and turned on the light. Her reflection in the mirror showed sunken, haunted eyes, their normal aquamarine color all but faded to gray. Her complexion matched those eyes, and weeks of pain had etched slight lines into her face. Irma supposed those lines were only visible to those who knew what to look for, but that thought did little to comfort the girl.

Irma splashed water on her face and took a long drink. The water did nothing to hide her haggard appearance. There was a time not long ago Irma had believed water could fix any emotional hurt. If she could just immerse herself in enough of the life-giving liquid...but that thought had turned out to be flawed. No matter how much time she spent in the bathtub, Irma could not calm the roiling of her mind, the tumult of her emotions.

Shaking her head sadly, the young Guardian switched off the light and exited the bathroom. She approached her bedroom window and leaned heavily on the sill. The moon was full and bright, and the stars winked silently at her. Tears leaped, unbidden, to Irma's eyes as she recalled simpler days when those stars would have made the world seem gentle and kind. Now she knew it could be hard and cruel.

Her thoughts shifted to her parents, sleeping close by. There was a time Irma felt untouchable because her father was there to protect her. Now she knew there were some wounds not even a father's love could heal. And what of her little brother? Nerissa had replaced him as the bane of her existence...and Irma longed for the days when her biggest fears included Chris wrecking a slumber party. She had much larger fears now.

Clenching her teeth, the teenager tearfully mourned the death of her innocence. She gripped the windowsill tightly and willed the pain and the turmoil to go away. If her will was strong enough, maybe, just maybe...but it was not to be. The scars burned bright as ever, and the memories of her latest nightmare leaped into her damaged mind. They played out like a Hollywood Horror fest, and Irma powerless to stop the movie reels from spinning.

She and Taranee had been walking near the construction site of the new town hall. The two girls were talking and laughing comfortably...when everything turned suddenly wrong, Irma saw Nerissa in the distance, her gray hair flying in the wind. Without thinking, the water witch had attacked, trusting Taranee to do the same. But the Fire Guardian had, instead, grabbed her friend and restrained her.

"Irma, what are you doing? That's your mother! Stop!"

"Let me go...it's Nerissa. Can't you see? It's Nerissa!"

"No, Irma, it's your mom. Nerissa is dead. You have to calm down."

Irma calmed somewhat. It was true...Nerissa _was_ dead. Could Taranee also be right about something else? Had Irma just attacked her own mother?

Feeling her friend relax, Taranee let Irma go and raced to the girl's fallen mother.

"She's hurt!" Taranee cried. "I don't think she's breathing."

Irma raced to her victim's side, desperate to help. "Mom! Mom!"

"Call 911, quick. I'm going to try CPR," Taranee instructed."

Irma reached for her cell phone, but it was not with her. "I-I can't; I don't have my cell phone."

Taranee didn't respond, as she was in the middle of breathing for Anna Lair.

"Taranee, do you have your cell phone?" Irma asked in a panic.

The black girl stopped her ministrations and reached into her jeans pocket. She tossed her phone to her friend and continued rescue breathing.

With shaking fingers, Irma dialed the emergency number.

Nothing happened.

Desperate for results, Irma tried again. Still nothing.

The young Guardian looked at the phone..."No signal" flashed on the display.

With a cry, Irma dialed again and again, each time netting the same frustrating results.

After several minutes, Taranee stopped and looked tearfully at her friend.

"I'm sorry, Irma...she's gone."

With a strangled gasp, the water witch sank to her knees and dropped the phone. She crawled to her mother and threw herself over her immobile form, the tears coming in droves. Taranee rose to her feet and stood close by, feeling almost like an intruder. She thought the moment should be restricted to family, so she began to move away.

"This is all your fault!"

Taranee turned and stared at Irma. Her friend's face was a mask of rage, her features contorted by grief.

"You should have saved her; you should have stopped me."

"Irma, I'm sorry-"

"Don't patronize me, you filth!" Irma exploded to her feet and turned her powers on her former friend. The jet of water knocked Taranee into an open ditch. The Fire Guardian struck her head on a large rock and passed out.

Laughing maniacally, Irma grabbed a nearby shovel. She thrust it into the dirt and scooped up a heaping mound. She dropped the soft earth into the hole...on top of Taranee. Scooping another shovelful, the crazed water witch continued to bury her friend.

Irma's thoughts returned to reality then, and she found herself still staring out her bedroom window. The moon and stars were still shining...the world was perfectly normal.

For most people.

Gritting her teeth, Irma Lair pushed herself away from the windowsill and padded back to her bed. It was 3:45 AM, according to her clock. As she climbed beneath the covers, her mind tried to grasp onto logical thoughts. She knew there was no construction for a new town hall, nor would she and Taranee have been anywhere near a construction zone in the first place. Then to have her mother show up? It was all just too unreal. Besides, Irma couldn't have killed her mother with one blast of her powers; they weren't strong enough in her human form.

Logically her mind knew the situation would never, _could_ never, occur. Emotionally, it didn't care. The implications of attacking her own mother, and then burying one of her best friends alive...logic did little to assuage the guilt and terror she felt. Nevertheless, Irma knew she needed to hang onto that logic or she would go even more insane than she already felt.

The teenager closed her eyes and tried to block out the disturbing images. She was afraid to fall asleep.

--

Hay Lin awoke at 8:00 not feeling very refreshed. The intervention hadn't been quite as successful as she had hoped, yet it hadn't been a complete disaster, either. Irma had finally opened up about her experiences and what she was feeling. She had finally let her friends in a little, and that had to be worth _something_.

The young Air Guardian had hoped they would find a way to help their friend, but as it stood, Hay Lin felt more helpless than ever. What could she possibly say to make her friend feel better? Irma was dealing with demons of a greater menace than anything Hay Lin could even imagine, let alone visualize in reality. That Irma was actually hurting herself to avoid facing those demons made Hay Lin's heart break.

The helpless feeling grew as the overwhelming task of putting her friend back together surged in Hay Lin's heart. Her very soul seemed to vibrate with the daunting task. Still, didn't she have a responsibility to try? Didn't they all have a responsibility to help? After all, her friends were all Irma had. Without telling her parents what had really happened, and thereby reveal the Guardians' identity, Irma was, essentially, alone.

A knock at Hay Lin's bedroom door brought the air witch out of her reverie.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened to reveal grandmotherly Yan Lin. The old woman stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"How did you sleep, my little one?"

"Not too good, grandma. I'm so worried about Irma; my stomach is in knots. And that dream I had where I saw her bleeding from her wrists. Oh, grandma, what if it comes true? What if Irma tries to kill herself?"

Yan Lin sat down on the bed beside her granddaughter and pulled her into a hug.

"You must not think of such things, little one. While it is true the Air Guardian has the power to see future events, not every dream is a vision or a portent. You are under a lot of stress right now; you're bound to have some strange dreams here and there."

"I suppose so," Hay Lin admitted with a sigh. "But that doesn't help us help Irma. What can we do?"

Yan Lin looked at her granddaughter seriously. "Are you willing to do whatever it takes to help her?"

Hay Lin's eyes narrowed. "I-I think so."

Yan Lin shook her head. "No, Hay Lin, you must not _think_ so. You must _know_ so. Are you willing to do whatever it takes?"

"You're scaring me, grandma."

"I'm sorry. I just need to know that I can count on you when the going gets rough."

"What do you mean? You can always count on me for anything!"

Yan Lin gently stroked the young girl's hair. "I know I can, my little on. But if we are to help Irma, it may not be pretty and it may not be gentle."

"I know you're not talking about beating her up, but beyond that, I'm completely clueless."

Yan Lin stood up. "Just follow my lead, kiddo. Get dressed so we can go and visit Irma."

--

Will Vandom awoke with a start. The Heart of Candracar was making a ringing noise. Who would be calling at this hour on a Saturday morning? Glancing at the clock, Will saw it was 8:00 AM. Not that early, after all. Still, she didn't appreciate being awake before noon.

The Guardian groaned and pulled open the drawer of her bed table. The Heart was flashing and ringing insistently. That could mean only one thing...Candracar needed the Guardians.

Leaping out of bed, Will quickly pulled on the closest clothes she could find...whether they were clean or not. Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed Taranee's number.

"H-Hello?" said a decidedly sleepy voice on the other end.

"Taranee, sorry to wake you, but Candracar is calling. We need to gather and get there fast."

"If this is a joke, I'm going to twist your nose off."

"It's not a joke, T...sorry."

Taranee groaned into the phone. "You want me to call the others?"

"No; I'll take care of it. Meet at Shell Cave as soon as possible. It's Saturday so spending the day together won't seem all that strange to our parents."

"Okay," Taranee mumbled. "I'll see you soon."

Will cut the connection and phoned Hay Lin. After explaining the reason for the call, she heard Hay Lin hesitate.

"I don't know, Will. Grandma and I were planning on trying to visit with Irma today. Can you handle it without me this time?"

Will thought about it. They were already going to be down one, as Will seriously doubted Irma would be able to join them. Still, Irma should be their top priority...not Candracar.

"We'll handle it, Hay Lin. Good luck with Irma."

"Thanks, Will. Bye."

For good measure, Will phoned Irma's house only to be told by Mrs. Lair that Irma was grounded. The Guardian Leader expected as much, but it was worth a try.

Hurriedly brushing her teeth, she raced down the stairs and grabbed a pop tart. Yelling an excuse and a goodbye to her mother, Will bolted out the door. All Susan Vandom could do was shake her head.

--

Half-an-hour later, Taranee and Will met at Shell Cave.

"Looks like we're the first ones here," Taranee remarked.

"Actually, we're the _only_ ones here. Hay Lin and Irma aren't coming, and Cornelia's already on Candracar."

Taranee blinked. "Irma I can understand; she's most likely grounded. But what's Hay Lin's deal?"

"She and Yan Lin want to visit with Irma today."

"But Candracar-"

"Candracar be damned. Irma needs to be our top priority. Besides, if it turns out to be something smelly and hairy that we can't handle, we can always call for backup."

"And Cornelia?"

"She was worried about Elyon last night. She came to me and asked me to send her to Candracar so she could be with her friend."

"So I take it an AD has taken her place at home..."

Will nodded. "I escorted it to the Hale Residence last night so it wouldn't get lost or anything."

"Will, you know that spells disaster."

"What could I do, T? Cornelia _really_ needed to be with Elyon. She was desperate."

"And you're going soft," said Taranee, playfully.

Will blushed slightly, but smiled at her friend. "Let's just go, shall we?"

Taranee nodded and waited for the inevitable...

"Guardians unite!"

Taranee pulled her head into her shoulders a little as rosy light surrounded the two girls. In seconds they were both transformed into young women with wings and smashing, multi-colored tights.

Will created a fold to Candracar, and indicated the glowing portal.

"After you."

"Oh boy, _thank you_," Taranee said, sarcastically.

Nevertheless, the Fire Guardian gamely hopped through the portal, followed closely by her leader.

--

Cornelia sat by Elyon's sickbed, cooling the young queen's fevered brow with a washcloth. Elyon moaned in her sleep, occasionally tossing her head from side to side. As disturbing as that was, Cornelia was somewhat encouraged by the actions. It meant her friend was not beyond hope of waking up.

And hope was all Cornelia had to hang onto.

"Elyon," she whispered, "I'm here. Please, you have to wake up. You have to live."

As all the other times before, Elyon showed no indication she knew Cornelia was nearby.

The young Guardian was determined to stay with her friend as long as she had to. She would stay until either Elyon awoke or was beyond hope of help. Either way, there would be a resolution...and Cornelia meant to see it through.

A soft knock at the door indicated a visitor.

"Come in," Cornelia called softly.

Halinor entered the queen's sleeping chamber and padded to Elyon's bedside.

"Any change?"

Cornelia shook her head. "She just lies here and moans. I think she's in pain and I'm powerless to stop it."

"You cannot blame yourself, Cornelia. You did not poison your friend."

The Earth Guardian shook her head, tears welling up in her frustrated eyes. "Maybe if I had visited more often, or kept in better touch, I would have noticed something was wrong. Maybe if we had gotten to her sooner..."

"You can't think like that," Halinor answered firmly. "We have no idea how long the poisoning has been occurring. Not even the Oracle knows that, so we have no way of knowing what kind of time we may or may not have had. This could be a single large dose, or it could be many small doses. We just don't know. We need more information. Which brings me to the reason for my visit."

Cornelia glanced at the former Guardian and waited for her to continue.

"Will and Taranee are here at the Oracle's behest. They are waiting for you in the Council Chamber."

Cornelia shook her head. "I can't leave Elyon; not now."

"I will stay with her until you return. Please, Cornelia, you must go to the Council Chamber."

Cornelia looked back at her sickly friend. On the one hand, she had a duty to the universe. On the other, she had a duty to her heart. The two sides warred with each other and Cornelia found herself caught in the middle.

"Alright, I'll go. But I won't be happy about it."

Halinor smiled warmly. "Thank you, Cornelia."

The Earth Guardian handed the washcloth to Halinor and stood up.

"Take good care of her."

"I will."

Cornelia nodded and strode out of the chamber.

--

Cornelia found Taranee, Will, the Oracle, and Tibor gathered together, talking quietly. When the Chamber doors opened, all heads turned to look at the new arrival.

"Earth Guardian," the Oracle intoned, inclining his head respectfully, "please join us."

Cornelia crossed the room and stood beside Will.

"How's Elyon?" the Guardian Leader asked.

"Still in a coma...and I think she's in pain."

Turning her attention, then, to the Oracle, Cornelia raised her chin. "We have to help her."

The Oracle nodded sadly. "We are doing everything we can to aid the Queen of Meridian. We shall not stop searching until a cure is discovered."

"Thank you," Cornelia croaked softly.

Will placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and addressed the Oracle. "So why are we here?"

"We need your help to locate the person, or persons, responsible for the attack against the queen. As such, we would like you to go to Meridian and gather information. It is possible the perpetrator has, or knows of, a cure for the poison."

"If you don't know of a cure," Will said thoughtfully, "what makes you think _anyone_ knows of a cure? Aren't you supposed to be all-powerful or something?"

The Oracle chuckled and his eyes danced. "I thank you, Guardian, for your compliment, but I am far from all-powerful. I have merely existed for many eons and have learned much from my travels. While it is true I am possessed of certain powers, I am not omniscient, nor am I omnipotent."

"Om....what?"

Taranee leaned over to Will and whispered, "all-knowing and all-powerful."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Are you willing to go to Meridian and search for the attacker?"

Will looked at her friends. They both nodded, so Will nodded in turn. "Okay, we'll do it. Now what should we look for?"

"I would suggest you question the inhabitants of the palace," Tibor rumbled. "Althor believes that only someone close to the queen could have pulled this off. A bodyguard, perhaps."

"Tibor is correct," the Oracle agreed quietly. "It is a theory that merits researching. Please bring us word of your findings as soon as you are able. Time is of the essence, Guardians."

Will nodded and turned to her friends. "Then let's hit Meridian, people. We'll let you know what we find out, Big O."

Tibor sighed while the Oracle merely raised an amused eyebrow.

--

Yan Lin knocked on the front door of the Lair house. It was only a few seconds before Anna Lair answered the knock.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Lin, Hay Lin. What can I do for you?"

"We would very much like to see Irma," Yan Lin answered. "Please may we talk with her?"

Anna looked apprehensive. "I don't know Mrs. Lin...Irma is grounded, after all."

"But we're trying to help her, Mrs. Lair," Hay Lin said.

Anna's eyes grew soft as she regarded the youngster on her doorstep. She desperately wished for someone to help her daughter, as Irma seemed hesitant to open up to her parents. Perhaps this old woman and this teenager were just what Irma needed. A mother knows when her daughter is in trouble, and Anna Lair was no exception. So she opened the door wider.

"Please, find a way to help her."

Yan Lin patted the younger woman's hand. "We will, Anna; we will."

"She's in her room. You know the way, Hay Lin."

Hay Lin nodded and gave the worried woman what she hoped was a bracing thumbs-up.

Grandmother and granddaughter climbed the stairs to Irma's bedroom, followed closely by Anna. Reaching the bedroom door, Anna inserted a key into the shiny lock and turned it. Slipping the key into her pocket she turned to her companions.

"Please...I'm begging you. Help her. She won't let me in on whatever is bothering her. I don't know why she doesn't trust me, but I am out of pride at this point. I just want my daughter back."

Yan Lin smiled. "We'll do everything we can."

Anna nodded, slight tears in the corners of her eyes. She proceeded back downstairs and Yan Lin turned towards the bedroom door. Stepping out of the way, the old woman indicated the door handle.

"You should go in first."

Hay Lin nodded and knocked softly on the door.

"Go away," came the voice from inside the room.

"Irma, it's me, Hay Lin. Please can I come in?"

The door flew open then and Irma grabbed her best friend in a rib-cracking hug.

"Hay Lin...you came. I was just sitting here wishing you were here, and now..."

Hay Lin giggled a little. "It's not just me...grandma is here, too."

Irma nodded and smiled at Yan Lin. "Mrs. Lin...welcome to my prison."

Yan Lin chuckled and bowed.

"Come in, come in," Irma said, stepping aside.

Hay Lin and Yan Lin entered Irma's room. Irma closed the door and sat on her bed. Hay Lin bounced onto the bed while Yan Lin pulled up a chair.

"I still can't believe you're here," Irma enthused. "It's been miserable being cooped up here. I know it's only been a few hours, but it seems like days."

"I'll bet it does," Hay Lin nodded. "Irma, we're here to help you. Those things you said yesterday at Shell Cave...were you telling us all of it?"

Irma hugged her knees and nodded. "I hit the high points. Why?"

"Because if we're going to help you, we need you to be completely honest with us."

Irma hugged her knees tighter. "Hay Lin, what more do you want from me? Do you have any idea how hard it was to talk about all of this?"

"Irma, I know you've got a lot of pride, but-"

"Pride has nothing to do with it, Hay-Hay. It's about pain avoidance. I don't like having to relive it; I would rather just avoid it. Talking about it doesn't exactly fulfill that wish."

"But you must talk about it," Yan Lin chimed in. "You must get used to what happened to you, Irma. You were tortured, brutally, for nearly a week. You were mentally tortured for weeks after that in an effort to save your life. You were subjected to yet more physical and mental torture for weeks after that by a truly evil person who merely wanted you to suffer. These are not things to be taken lightly, but neither are they things to hide from."

Irma blinked but remained silent.

Yan Lin continued. "You survived against all odds and you need to focus on that. The one responsible for your pain is dead, and she can no longer hurt you. You need to learn this and believe it."

"I-I do believe it, Mrs. Lin."

Yan Lin shook her head. "No you don't. If you did you would stop torturing yourself like this. Nerissa is gone, the physical pain she inflicted on you is gone, the mental atrocities are gone. The only one still torturing Irma Lair is Irma Lair."

Irma's mouth gaped. How could Mrs. Lin say things like this? "Mrs. Lin, please-"

"No, Irma, you need to hear this. You must learn to talk about what happened. Only then will you become used to the atrocities. You must become used to them so they will no longer occupy your every waking moment. As they become more familiar, they will gradually fade away into the background. They will become just something that happened instead of having a life of their own."

Yan Lin continued. "Right now, you are a slave to Nerissa and the only one allowing that slavery is you. You must work to get over it or it will rule you forever. You will never be free."

Irma blinked back tears and turned to her best friend. "Hay Lin?"

The smallest Guardian couldn't believe her grandmother was talking like this. Irma needed help, not chastisement. Nevertheless, Hay Lin remembered her grandmother's admonition to "follow her lead."

"She's right," Hay Lin said. "You _are_ torturing yourself. You admitted it yesterday when you said you're hurting yourself. But it's not just that...you're continuing to dwell on what happened. We already rescued you from that; you don't need to be afraid anymore. Please, you have to let it go."

"Let it go? You think it's just that simple? Just wave my hand and it's all over? It will _never _be over for me. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes, she's there. I can't eat because I can still taste my own blood. What of these things am I imagining, exactly?"

"All of it," Yan Lin answered. "You are not hurt anymore, so tasting your own blood is all in your mind. Nerissa is dead and cannot hurt you anymore; she is also all in your mind."

"And that's just the point, Mrs. Lin. My mind is damaged, and it controls my life."

"You _let_ it control your life. The mind is a powerful tool. It can be used for great good, or great evil. Right now you are using yours for evil. You must turn this around or you will never recover."

"Then tell me how to do that," Irma said tiredly, scrubbing her hand over her face.

"I do not have all the answers, Irma, but I can be here to listen and to teach. Hay Lin loves you and she wants you to recover as much as I do."

"But what do I _do_? I can't just turn this off like a switch. It consumes my every waking and sleeping moment."

"Start by venting all your frustrations on us. Tell us everything that angers you, hurts you, offends you. No matter how humiliating or painful it is for you...hold nothing back."

"Yeah, Irma, let us have it," Hay Lin said enthusiastically. "We can take it."

"But I don't want to hurt you. What if I lose control?"

"Then lose control," Yan Lin answered matter-of-factly. "Tell us everything you hate."

"I hate Nerissa. I hate the pain she put me through. I hate Frost, and Miranda, and Raythor. I hate them all for putting me through this."

"And?"

"And what, Mrs. Lin? I hate all of them."

"What else do you hate?"

Irma creased her brow. "I hate torture, I hate the Joining, I hate the Oracle for standing by and letting it happen."

"And you hate the Guardians..."

"I hate the...no I don't. I don't hate the Guardians."

"Yes you do," Yan Lin said softly.

"No I don't," Irma replied firmly.

"Grandma?"

Yan Lin paid no heed to her granddaughter's questioning. "You hate the Guardians for allowing you to be taken by the Knights of Vengeance."

"No."

"You hate the Guardians for their delay in getting to you."

"Mrs. Lin, please..."

"And you hate the Guardians for leading normal lives while you suffer."

"I...I...I _hate them_. I hate them for not coming for me. I hate them for sending Hay Lin into danger while I was being tortured. I hate them for nearly getting us all killed in the aviary. I hate Will for putting me through the Joining even though she knew what would happen. I hate Cornelia for being perfect all the time and treating us all like staff instead of friends. I hate Taranee for being so smart and making the rest of us look like idiots. And I hate you, Hay Lin, for being my weakness against Nerissa. The reason I never called for help was because of you. I couldn't stand the thought of her torturing you like she was me. If you hadn't been in the mix, I would have called for help and been spared all this agony. I might even be normal! But because of you, I'm destroyed and damaged beyond all repair!"

Hay Lin stared in shock at her friend, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She wanted to run out of the room and never come back. But she remembered her grandmother's admonition to do whatever it took. So she raised her chin defiantly.

"Is that all you've got?" Hay Lin asked. "Because I'm worth a lot more hating than that."

Irma, breathing hard, suddenly realized what she had done. "Hay Lin, please forgive me. I would never-"

"Do you think you have the monopoly on pain here?" Hay Lin asked. "I have physical scars that will never heal. That hag carved the Chinese symbols for "vengeance" into my stomach; and all because she wanted my grandmother to feel her power. I was violated, Irma, but should I blame my grandmother for that?"

"Hay Lin-"

"And Cornelia's ribs were pulverized. It took days for her Chamber to put her back together. Even now, she still winces when she runs. Who should we blame for that?"

"Please stop..."

"And how about Taranee? Her powers were taken away for a brief time by that bag. It turned her into a strung-out crazy person. She could have died from the withdrawal."

"And Will...she was most affected by that battle in the aviary. She was impaled through the stomach and had her face burned off. She had to go through the Joining to repair that damage, so if anyone should understand how that feels, it's Will. But do you go to her and ask for help? No, you blame her for all your pain and suffering. She saved your life in that cave-in by shocking your heart and this is how you repay her?"

Irma's mouth dropped open. "What-what are you talking about? Shocking my heart?"

Hay Lin's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. "Oh no...you weren't supposed to find out about that."

"Find out about what?"

"Irma, you _died_ in that cave-in area. Remember when we were all trapped in Nerissa's lair because of a cave-in? Will had a concussion, Taranee got all claustrophobic, and Cornelia couldn't dig us out? Your heart stopped beating, and Will had to be a human crash-cart in order to revive you. She saved your life, Irma."

Irma tried to wrap her head around what Hay Lin had said. She had _died_? That meant that Nerissa had actually tortured her to death. How could they keep something like this from her?

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because we didn't want you to freak out even more," Hay Lin answered timidly. "I'm sorry, but we thought we were doing what was best."

Irma nodded; she could respect that. "You still shouldn't have kept it from me."

"Do you hate us for that, too?"

"Hay Lin, I shouldn't have said those things-"

"Yes you should have. It's how you feel. How can we help you if you won't be honest with us? But I don't understand how you knew, grandma."

"I didn't," Yan Lin said. "I was just trying to push some buttons to help Irma open up."

"Well it worked," Irma said ruefully. "You got me to admit something I was hoping would stay buried forever. How do I get past this? I can't go on forever hating my friends."

"You won't," Yan Lin said gently. "Someday you will be able to reconcile your feelings and you will learn to love your friends again. They are not your enemies, and every one of them wishes it had been them and not you. They must be given credit for this, at least."

"I'm not really even sure I hate them...I just hate the whole situation. I hate what Nerissa has done to me. She's ruined my life. What can the future possibly hold for someone like me now?"

"That is why you must let it all out, dear Irma. Many people have learned to live with a condition similar to yours by talking about their experiences with friends and trusted relatives. You may not be able to confide in your family for this, but you can, and must, confide in your friends."

"I'll try, Mrs. Lin. But it's going to take time. Please be patient with me."

"The time for patience is over. We have been patient for weeks and you have not rewarded our patience. We will not stand by and watch you, our friend, destroy yourself."

"Mrs. Lin, I love you, but you're really starting to piss me off."

"Good; get angry again. Show us your spine. Show us that some old hag can't beat the strongest person any of us have ever known. You are letting her win by continuing to wallow in this self-pity."

Irma was quiet for a moment. She thought about those words. She was competitive by nature, and she hated to lose. She would be damned if she was going to let Nerissa beat her anymore.

"You're right...both of you. I _don't _have the monopoly on pain, nor do I have the exclusive right to hate Nerissa. We all have a beef with her, and she's the one that deserves our anger and our hatred. I need to stop fighting my friends and start fighting the real enemies. And those enemies are Nerissa and myself.

"Irma, why are you beating yourself up?" Hay Lin asked.

"Because I've been an idiot for trying to get through this on my own. I never realized how foolish I've been; how completely stupid I've been. Thank you both for helping me see this."

"Hey what are friends for?" Hay Lin shrugged.

Irma pulled her sister into a hug and clung to her for dear life. Hay Lin returned the hug gratefully.

"And now, my little one, it's time we go. I fear we may have overstayed our welcome."

"Please can't you stay?" Irma begged.

"You are grounded, young lady," Hay Lin giggled. "If your dad finds us here, he'll blow his top."

Irma nodded reluctantly. "Alright, I understand."

She stood up and crossed the room. Opening the door she hugged both friends briefly.

"Thank you again. I feel much better; I really do."

"Good, because it's not over yet," Mrs. Lin said.

Irma waited until she heard the front door close before going back into her room. She strode quickly to her window and looked out. Hay Lin's brown eyes were looking up at her. With a sad smile, Irma pressed the fingers of her right hand to the glass. Hay Lin blew her a kiss then followed her grandmother back to the Silver Dragon.

--

**And there we have it, kids. I hope you all enjoyed it. And if you didn't, blame Visigoth. Please send all hate mail and threatening letters to him...he really enjoys it. Again my thanks for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again, kids, and welcome to the Whale Pit once again. I want to sincerely thank all of my lovely reviewers: cartoonlover101 (thanks for your kind thoughts); sokai (awww, you been thinking about me. Thanks!); nightroad (what is Nerissa's motive indeed? A good question, my friend.); ice silver crystal (Yes, you can have a brownie...you can have two brownies); nemrut (thanks for your compliments); shocklance (The Astral Drop will be revelaed, yes); wolfgurl211 (Thanks for your compliments); Darev (there will be confrontation soon, yes); DayDreamer9 (Yay progress!! I agree with you, it's been a while); Lost Prince (Say hi to mom for me); XV Dragon (Nice imagery on the dam thing); Starwin (Thank you for your compliments...I appreciate your thoughts); AJ (Thanks for skipping the H8 mail. :) ); Zestychicken2 (Just wait...Nerissa will make another appearance soon).**

**I also want to thank my editor, Visigoth, for his work on this chapter. As always, a superb job.**

**Now I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. Blame it on football...yes I'm a fan. Anyway, I know this chapter is kind of short (for me anyway), but I really wanted to get something posted for everyone. So I hope you enjoy it. May I present:**

**Chapter 11**

Nerissa stalked around her lair, a simple cave on Meridian she had turned into her latest hiding place. She had an affinity for caves, as she had spent the last several decades of her life trapped in one. Somehow, a cave made her feel at home, in a strange, twisted sort of way.

Now she felt again liked a caged animal. Her prey had had a psychological breakthrough, thanks to her meddling friends, and Nerissa found this completely unacceptable. Adding insult to injury, it was Yan Lin and Hay Lin that had managed to break the barrier surrounding Irma's psyche.

There was not a single person in the universe Nerissa loathed more than Yan Lin. Her betrayal of her so-called friend so many years ago had stung like a scorpion, and Nerissa had a long memory. Her vengeance against Yan Lin's granddaughter would come, but for now she had more important things to attend.

Like the water brat's complete and utter destruction.

The witch paced around the stone confines of her lair, the wheels in her diabolical head spinning. She could not allow the Guardian any chance to heal herself. Such circumstances were contrary to her devilish plan for vengeance. Nerissa blamed the water witch for her downfall, even though it had been Elyon who had ultimately defeated her.

But vengeance against the Queen of Meridian was already complete. The Heart of Meridian had a new mistress, and the young queen most certainly lay dead by now. This happy circumstance left Nerissa free to pursue vengeance against the young Guardian who had so convincingly resisted her physical and mental tortures. It was because of this resistance that Nerissa's plan had failed. In her mind, Nerissa believed the water witch's ability to hold out for so long had doomed her perfect plan to gain the Heart of Candracar.

And now she was ruining things again.

Nerissa growled deep in her throat, as she continued to pace. She would need to modify her plans slightly if she was to break the water brat...and she knew just what to do.

"It is time, dearheart," the witch intoned to no one. "It is time to prey upon your greatest fear. Survive this if you can!"

--

Will, Taranee, and Cornelia arrived on Meridian. The day was sunny and bright, belying the general mood in the castle. Will didn't know if the people of Meridian knew their ruler hovered between life and death, and she was determined not to let that out if it was a secret. So she put on a straight face and moved with the confidence people expected of the Guardian Leader.

Cornelia stalked along on autopilot. She had reluctantly agreed to accompany her friends on this mission. She felt the need to be near her best friend as she fought for her life, but she also felt the need to be actively doing something to help. The two sides of her warred with one another, but her sense of duty had eventually won out.

The blonde Guardian gazed at Will as she walked purposefully up the stairs of the palace. She wished she had the confidence of her leader.

Taranee watched Cornelia closely. In some ways, the fire witch was more concerned about her tall friend than she was about Irma. To be sure, Irma was battling demons no young woman should have to fight; but Cornelia silently fought her own battles, as well. Of all the Guardians, the earth mistress was the most private. She always had the same, unflappable personality on the outside. Rarely did she allow her personal feelings to mar that facade. That she was so obviously disturbed now worried Taranee greatly.

At the Guardians' approach, a guard blocked their entry. It was a mere formality, but one Cornelia found annoying, all the same. Hadn't they done enough for Meridian to at least merit unchallenged entry into the castle? The tall Guardian shook her head and sighed as Will patiently addressed the young guard.

"Hi," she said. "We're here to look into Queen Elyon's sickness."

The guard nodded stoically and withdrew his halberd, allowing the teens access. Will grinned and waved as she marched through the heavy, polished doors.

"Okay," Will addressed her friends, "we need to think of a plan. We can't just go randomly asking people what they know; they'll think we're accusing them or something."

"I suggest we start at the scene of the crime," Taranee said, pushing her glasses up her nose with one finger. "We may be able to glean some clues from Elyon's bedroom."

"Well listen to Miss CSI," Cornelia quipped.

Will grinned. She was hoping Cornelia wouldn't be all doom and gloom during this mission. Everyone was worried about Elyon, but none more so than Cornelia. They had been best friends for years, after all.

The Guardian Leader motioned for her friends to follow as she made her way through the palace. She knew the way to Elyon's room very well, and it didn't take long for them to arrive. The guard posted outside the door merely nodded and waved them through.

As they entered the bedchamber, Taranee closed her eyes, opened herself up, and listened with her mind. Will and Cornelia stayed very quiet as they walked slowly about the room. They knew their friend would be calling on her powers and they didn't want to disturb her.

After a few minutes, the Fire Guardian opened her eyes. "The only presences I feel are Elyon and Trill. I can feel _something_ else, but I don't know what it is. It's almost as if there was someone else here, but they're trying to mask their identity."

"Well having Trill in here wouldn't be unusual. She's practically Elyon's personal aide. But what is this other presence you're feeling?"

"I don't know," Taranee responded. "It's like seeing your favorite TV show through a lot of fuzz. You can see images, silhouettes, but you can't really tell who any of the characters are or what they're doing."

"Maybe we ought to go talk to Trill," Cornelia suggested. "She may have seen or heard something that can help us."

"We'll probably find her in the kitchens," Taranee said.

Will nodded. "Good idea, but let's have a closer look at this room first. I just feel like there's something we're missing."

The three girls spent half-an-hour searching every nook and cranny of Elyon's bedchamber...but their search turned up nothing useful.

Dejected and a little frustrated, the Guardians trooped to the palace kitchens to have a word with Trill. To their utter astonishment, Trill was nowhere to be seen.

"Where could she have gone?" Will mused.

Rather than try to figure out something on their own, Cornelia accosted the nearest attendant.

"Hi, I'm Cornelia."

The brown-haired attendant inclined her head. "I know who you are, Guardian of Earth. I am Sasha."

"Nice to meet you, Sasha. I'm wondering if you can tell us where to find Trill. We really need to talk to her."

"Is this about the Queen's illness?"

Cornelia nodded.

"Then you should know, no one has seen the queen or Trill in the last few days. The queen's bedchamber has been sealed, and Trill has not returned to the kitchens."

"When did you see her last?" Will asked.

"A few days ago when she took a meal to the queen. She did not return from that visit."

"And no one thought to question her absence?" Taranee asked.

Sasha shook her head. "Trill is the queen's personal attendant. As the queen has been sealed away from us, we assumed Trill would stay with her."

"What do you think has happened to the queen?" Cornelia asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Sasha shrugged. "It is not for me to question those things. I trust that our leaders are doing what is best for Meridian, and that I should do my duty to the best of my ability. That is my job as a citizen of Meridian."

"So you haven't even _thought_ about what's going on?" Taranee said.

"Like I said, it is not for me to question. Of course I have my own theories, but I am not about to ruin morale by spreading guesses."

"Would you mind sharing some of those theories with us?" Will pushed.

Sasha narrowed her eyes and looked about nervously. She lowered her voice then, and leaned closer to the girls. "I do not think the queen is still on Meridian. I think Trill has taken her somewhere to recover."

"How could Trill do that?" Cornelia asked.

"Why, with the help of the Guardians, of course."

"Are you accusing-"

"No, no; it is not like that. I believe you only want what is best for our queen. If you thought it best to take her away, then I trust this is the right decision. But I do worry that she is not well. Please, can you tell me of her health?"

Will looked at the other Guardians and frowned. Sasha had hit the nail on the head...Elyon _was_ somewhere other than Meridian. But how much of that should they tell this kitchen attendant?

Will took a deep breath and made a decision. "Queen Elyon is safe; of that you can be sure."

Sasha nodded, content with the Guardian Leader's answer. "Yet you still search for Trill. That means she is not with the queen."

Taranee was impressed with Sasha's intelligence and quick wit. "Is she missing?"

Sasha thought for a moment. "She has not returned to the kitchens...that is all I can say."

"Would she definitely be here and nowhere else?" Will asked.

"I believe she would. This is her post, after all," Sasha answered.

Will nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Sasha, for all your help. We'll let you get back to work now."

The young woman nodded and bustled off to attend to her duties.

Will motioned for her friends to follow as she exited the kitchens. Once outside, the friends huddled, each trying to think of their next move.

"The way I see it," Will said, "we have two possibilities. Either Trill is a victim or Trill is an assailant."

"I can't see that sweet woman meaning any harm to anyone, much less to Elyon," Taranee said.

"Yet we have to consider all possibilities," Cornelia answered. "Let's think about this for a moment. We know Elyon was poisoned, and poisons are commonly found in food and drink. As her personal attendant, Trill would have plenty of opportunity to poison Elyon."

"Yeah, but where's the motive?" Taranee asked, spreading her hands apart. "Trill has no reason to hurt Elyon."

"That we know of," Cornelia countered.

"What reason could she possibly have?" Taranee asked, incredulous.

"I don't know," Cornelia sighed, "I just know that she has the perfect opportunity to do it."

"Wait," Will held up her hand. "Didn't the Oracle say the poison was really rare?"

"Yeah..."

"What does Trill know about rare poisons?"

"We have no idea," Cornelia answered. "She could have a hobby, for all we know."

"Maybe, but I somehow don't think so," Will muttered. "This looks more like a professional job to me. Someone who wanted Elyon out of the way."

"But why?" Taranee asked. "Why would anyone want to hurt Elyon?"

"Good question," Will mused. "I don't have an answer for it."

"Maybe it's a coup," Cornelia offered.

"A what?" Will asked.

"A coup. In this case, Cornelia means someone trying to take over the government."

"Isn't that a revolution?"

"Yeah, but it's different. A coup is like-"

"We don't have time for this," Cornelia said exasperatedly. "Elyon could be dying and we need to find the person responsible. They may have a cure!"

Will nodded. "True. Sorry, C. Let's get back on topic. I think Trill is more likely a victim in this. I doubt she has knowledge of rare poisons, and I doubt even more that she would want Elyon dead."

"I agree," Taranee nodded.

Cornelia remained quiet for a time. Her mind ran through every scenario she could think of. In the end, she had to admit there was simply no motive for Trill to poison Elyon. Throwing up her hands, the tallest Guardian was forced to agree with her friends.

"Then that means we have a two-fold problem," Taranee mused. "One, we still don't know who poisoned Elyon. Two, Trill is missing. She may have witnessed someone attacking Elyon. That could be why she was taken. If that's the case..."

"Then Trill is in danger," Will finished the sentence.

"We have to find her, but we have no idea where to start looking," Cornelia said. "This whole trip has been a waste of time!"

Cornelia sat dejectedly on the floor and buried her beautiful face in her hands. Will knelt in front of her friend and reached a hand to Cornelia's shoulder.

"I know you're worried about Elyon, Cornelia, but you can't give up. The Oracle will find a way to help her...I know he will."

"You don't know that, Will. I know you're trying to cheer me up and all, but I've just lost a lot of faith over the past few weeks."

"How so?"

"We got owned by Nerissa, we suffered severe injuries, Irma is still suffering, and without Elyon's help, she would likely be dead right now. I think we would _all _be dead right now...or worse. I broke my back, for crying out loud, and that bitch pulverized my ribs. I'm having some trouble coming to terms with that kind of butt-kicking. Now Elyon is going to die and there's nothing we can do about it! All this power we have and where has it gotten us? How is it helping us now?"

Will swallowed a lump in her throat. She had no idea Cornelia was struggling so much. What could she say to her friend to make it all better?

"Cornelia, I know our track record of late hasn't been the best. But we're still standing and Nerissa is dead. Elyon helped us with that, yes; but we had to fight off the Knights of Vengeance. We needed Elyon's help then, and now she needs _our _help. We won't fail her."

Cornelia shook her head and cried softly. She was angry, frustrated, and confused. She didn't know what to do and she felt helpless. Elyon was fighting for her life and Cornelia had been reduced to spectator. It was a role the take-charge girl was unaccustomed to playing.

"It'll be okay," Taranee added. "Elyon is tough; she'll fight as hard as she can. She loves life, she loves Meridian, and she loves you. She'll fight for you. You'll see...she'll beat this. And when she does, she'll be able to name her attacker. Then we can go kick some evil behind."

Will nodded in agreement. "Taranee's right. Look, I think we've done all we can here. Since Caleb isn't here, I'm sure he's out questioning the people. I would be willing to bet the general public doesn't even know there's a problem. If Caleb finds out anything, I'm sure we'll be the first to know. Let's head back to Candracar and let the Oracle know what we found out."

Cornelia nodded and stood up. She winced slightly, her ribs still a little tender. She imagined they would always be so. She still didn't think they had accomplished anything, but she wanted to get back to Elyon, so she didn't argue.

When the Guardians returned to the Fortress Between Worlds, they explained their findings to the Council. The Oracle was disappointed, but agreed they had done all they could. He reported no change in Elyon's condition. Cornelia bade her friends goodbye and hurried to be with her best friend.

The other two Guardians said their farewells, and Will created a fold back to Earth. As the girls arrived on their home planet, they were surprised to see night had already fallen.

"Guess that little jaunt took longer than we thought," Taranee said.

"Guess so," Will echoed. "We'd better hurry and get home."

"Yeah. See ya tomorrow."

"Bye, T."

As Taranee jogged home, she couldn't help but feel that something was terribly, terribly, wrong.

--

Irma watched Yan Lin and Hay Lin disappear from view. Their visit had brightened her gloomy day, and for the first time in weeks, she had hope. Hope of beating Nerissa's hold on her. Hope of being happy again.

Hope of wanting to live again.

With a happy sigh, Irma let the curtain fall back over her window. She grinned slightly. She felt a burden had been lifted somehow. Mrs. Lin had been right...sharing her experiences _had_ been liberating.

Unburdening herself to Hay Lin had been frightening; Irma wasn't sure how the girl would take it. After all, Hay Lin was a little naive about the ways of the world. She preferred to go through life with her head in the clouds, and to think the best of everyone. Irma had once been carefree like that, if not quite that airy, but the last few weeks had turned her dark and bitter. And who could blame her? She had been brutally tortured physically and mentally for someone's sheer pleasure.

But a light was beginning to shine through her darkness...and that light belonged to Hay Lin.

The Asian girl had been willing to share Irma's pains while she had been Nerissa's "guest." She had not abandoned her in her greatest time of need. And even though Irma had tried to push her away, Hay Lin had remained steadfastly by her side. Now she had reached through Irma's darkest abyss and grabbed her hand. She had led her out of the blackness and shown her that life was worth living.

Yan Lin had shown faith in a tortured soul and shown Irma what it meant to heal. She had led her down a dark path, but always was she there to keep Irma from falling. In the darkness lay Irma's path to the light, and Yan Lin knew that. How had she known that in order for the wounds to heal, they would have to be ripped asunder? How had she known those wounds would close once they were shared with another?

Irma felt lighter than she had in weeks, and her sense of impending doom was gone. She laughed out loud and twirled around her bedroom until she fell to the floor with dizziness. No longer would she feel like a prisoner to that evil hag, Nerissa. No longer would she allow memories of the past to interfere with her future. She refused to keep herself captive to a dead woman's evil.

"You hear that, Nerissa? I'm no longer your slave. Wherever you are, I hope you burn forever for what you did...to all of us."

Feeling even more liberated, Irma walked swiftly to the bathroom and turned the faucets on the tub. She wanted to come fully clean from her ordeals, and a nice, long bath would do just the trick. As she waited for the water to warm, she reflected on the last few weeks. Only water had been able to make her feel safe, and she supposed she had become addicted to it. But now Hay Lin had given her a safe harbor, and Irma felt she didn't need to depend on the water for safety and security.

The water was simply that...water. It had ceased to be a drug, and was simply water again. Irma smiled as she realized she had come full circle.

She walked back to her bedroom and was about to strip when she heard a familiar sound. Turning, she saw a fold appear near her window. Grinning, she thought her friends had managed to find a way to circumvent her parents and had come to visit her. She approached the fold, ready to give her friends a warm welcome.

But her friends did not appear.

Raythor stepped through the fold and grinned evilly. He held an object to his lips and blew. Irma felt a sharp sting in her neck and she clapped her hand over the spot. Feeling something hard and cold, she pulled out a dart of some kind. Before she could even scream or comprehend what was happening, the young Guardian dropped heavily to the floor.

Satisfied, Raythor stepped over the fallen girl and threw open the bedroom window as he had been instructed. Then he turned and scooped up the teenager.

"Nerissa's missed you, Guardian," he said. "She thinks it's about time for a little reunion."

With that, the former Meridian guard stepped back through the fold. The blue light disappeared behind him, leaving the room devoid of life. In the bathroom, the sound of water echoed through the empty room.

--

**Now I know what you're all thinking...here we go again. Poor Irma, would you please just leave the poor girl alone?! Well my answer is...no, I won't. Insert evil grin Anyway, please let me know what y'all thought. Thanks for reading and enjoy your lives!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again my friends and welcome back to the Whale Pit. I appreciate all your comments and lovely reviews: Darev (Always appreciate your comments...so insightful); Nemrut (Good suggestions); Lost Prince (Hugs to you and your mom); Nightroad (Good insight...keep it up); Starwin (Hehe...pointy rocks of pointyness. Let the reader torture continue...); Magnafreak326 (Yes, poor Irma indeed. Just wait...); Cartoonloverfan101 (Thanks for the compliment); Wolfgurl211 (Thank you for continuing to read); XV-Dragon (Thanks for catching the Kadma thing); AJ (Hehe...quite the rant. It made me smile, so thank you); Shocklance (Think you can take the next chapter, eh? Guess we'll see. Grin); Philip Gipson (The Fairy-Cade sounds interesting. I hope you will write a story or two and incorporate your ideas); and DayDreamer9 (Twisted little author, aren't I...Grin).**

**I thank you all for your reviews...they make me feel good.**

**Now for the obligatory warning you all knew was coming:**

_****WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME READERS. DISCRETION IS ADVISED!!****_

**Now without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 12**

Anna Lair hummed to herself as she ran the vacuum across the living room floor. Yan Lin and Hay Lin had just departed, and reported that Irma seemed to be feeling a little better. Anna didn't know what was wrong with her only daughter, and she wished the girl would let her in. Part of her hurt to know that Irma would sooner talk to her friends than her own mother, but if those friends could help her daughter, then Mrs. Lair was all for it.

Anna felt unusually light after hearing a good report from her daughter's closest friend, and she wanted to visit with Irma as soon as possible. She finished the vacuuming quickly, then climbed the stairs to the upper level. Mrs. Lair stopped short of Irma's room when she heard the telltale sound of running water.

_Taking a bath again, _Anna thought. What was it with her daughter's obsession with water, anyway? She seemed unusually fascinated by the life-giving liquid, and Anna was not at all certain it was normal. Nevertheless, she preferred to live with someone who took too many baths than not enough.

Anna approached Irma's bedroom door and knocked softly.

"Irma?" she called.

Receiving no answer, Anna knocked a little louder.

"Irma?"

Still nothing. No sound of movement at all. In fact, all Mrs. Lair could hear was running water. Concerned, the middle-aged woman pulled the door key from her pocket and inserted it into the lock.

But the door wasn't locked.

Anna's breath caught in her throat and her eyes narrowed in concern. Then she remembered she hadn't locked the door after the Lin's had left. The woman sighed and returned the key to her pocket. She tried knocking one last time.

"Irma, please answer me. Are you in there?"

Anna immediately felt silly. Of course Irma was in there. Where else would she be? Despite Tom's insistence that the girl needed to learn responsibility, Anna trusted her daughter. No way would she try to sneak out while her mother was vacuuming.

But mother still wanted to visit with daughter, so Anna turned the knob and carefully opened the door. The first thing she noticed was that the room was clean and well-organized. Everything seemed to be in its place, and there was nothing on the floor that didn't belong there. A light breeze accompanied the sun that streamed through the open window, and outside, a single bird was chirping. Everything was as it should be...except that there was no Irma.

This didn't alarm Anna. Her daughter was most likely in the bathroom getting ready for her bath. Turning towards the sound of water, Mrs. Lair stopped short. The door was wide open, and the tub was overflowing.

Moving quickly, Anna sloshed to the tub and turned the faucet off. The room was plunged into silence, except for the occasional sound of sloshing water. The mess in the bathroom should have concerned Mrs. Lair; in fact it should have made her angry. But Anna's attentions were elsewhere. Where was her daughter?

She moved swiftly back into the bedroom. Standing in the middle, she turned this way and that, searching for her child.

"Irma!" she called. "Irma, answer me!"

But there was no reply.

Then she saw it as if for the first time.

The open window.

With a soft cry, Anna raced to the opening. Resting her hands heavily on the wooden windowsill, Mrs. Lair craned her neck first left then right. She looked all around, but saw no sign of her daughter.

"IRMA!!!"

Again there was no answer. What had happened? Could Irma have climbed out the window to escape her bedroom prison? Or had something more sinister befallen the teenager? She couldn't believe Irma would choose to sneak out, and panic began to form in her chest.

Pushing herself away from the window, Anna Lair raced to the phone in the kitchen and dialed the police station.

--

Ten minutes after a frantic phone call, three patrol cars screeched to a halt outside the Lair home. Sergeant Tom Lair alighted from one car almost before it had come to a complete stop. He raced across the lawn and caught his waiting wife in a bear hug.

"Tom, oh, Tom. Something's happened to her...I just know it."

"Shh...don't talk like that. We have to think now, not react."

"But what if she's been taken? What am I going to do without my daughter?"

Tom hugged his sobbing wife close and rubbed her back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"What if she's lying in a gutter somewhere right now, hurt or worse? Oh, Tom, we have to find her...we have to find her!"

"We'll find her, Anna, we'll find her. Have you called her friends? The neighbors? Asked around the neighborhood?"

Anna shook her head and sniffled. "I just called you. It was all I could think of to do."

"And you did the right thing," Tom soothed. "Where's Chris?"

"He's been playing at Bobby Beckett's house all day. He doesn't know what's going on"

Tom nodded. "I think we should keep it that way for now. I need to deploy the officers, but I'll be right back. Stay right here."

Anna nodded and disengaged from her husband. Tom turned back to the patrolmen, waiting impatiently in his driveway.

"Lewis, Garvy, canvas the neighborhood. I want you to start talking to people, see if anyone saw anything."

Two young patrolmen nodded and set off in opposite directions.

"Jenkins, look around outside my house. Pay particular attention to the area around my daughter's bedroom. See if you can find anything that might give us a clue as to what happened."

A silver-haired officer adjusted his glasses and nodded purposefully.

"Michaelson, please come with me. I need you to check Irma's bedroom. Maybe there's something that can help us."

"Yes, sir," the female officer responded. "Lead on."

Tom held up one finger and turned back to his still-sobbing wife.

"Anna, when did you see her last? What was she doing?"

Anna wiped her eyes. "Hay Lin and Yan Lin came over for a visit about an hour ago, so I let them have some time with Irma. After they left, I started vacuuming downstairs. When I finished, I could hear the bath water running in her room. I knocked, but she didn't answer, and then, I-I noticed the open window, and...and..."

Anna covered her face with her hands. Tom immediately took that beautiful face in his strong hands and turned her eyes to look into his.

"We're going to find her, Anna. I promise, we're going to find her." He caught his wife in another hug and held her briefly.

"I know this may be hard for you right now, but I need you to call Irma's friends. One of them may know where she is. Can you do that?"

Anna nodded and dried more tears with the back of her hand. "Yes, I can do that."

Tom smiled kindly. "Good. Thank you. Let me know what you find out. Carla and I are going to check her bedroom as well as the rest of the house. I've sent Paul and Steve to canvas the neighborhood, and Mel is checking around outside. If Irma was taken, and her abductor left any signs at all, we're going to find them."

Anna smiled bravely and wiped the rest of her tears. "I guess I'll go make those phone calls, then."

Tom cupped Anna's cheek in his hand and smiled back. Then he nodded to Officer Michaelson and they followed Mrs. Lair into the house.

--

Irma awoke, her mind a haze of fog. Her head pounded unmercifully, and her limbs felt heavy. Her mouth was dry.

The teenager groaned and tried to sit up. She was pushed roughly back down. With a grunt, Irma opened her eyes...and immediately wished she hadn't.

Standing over her, leering, was Frost the Hunter. Right behind him stood the pseudo-child, Miranda. Her slightly pointed teeth showed through her evil grin. Glancing over her shoulder, Irma saw Raythor leaning on his sword and glaring. Gargoyle towered behind him, while the evil Tracker stood off to her left with Sniffer. Crimson completed the group to Irma's right.

Completed surrounded by the Knights of Vengeance, Irma let her head fall back to the hard ground and groaned again.

"Don't you people ever get tired of this?" she moaned.

"We never get tired of torturing Guardians," Frost sneered. "I'm gonna make you bleed."

"Yeah, _that_ should prove your manliness. Beating up a teenage girl. Is that how you want people to remember the mighty Frost?"

Frost laughed softly. "I don't really care what anyone thinks of me. The only opinion that matters is yours...and I know what you think of me. You fear me, Guardian; and that's good enough for me."

"Then what are you waiting for, you ugly brute?" Irma challenged. "Hit me, already. Beat the crap out of me. I'm still not calling my friends. It didn't work last time and it won't work now."

The Knights laughed derisively. "Oh we don't want you to call your friends this time, Guardian," Raythor sneered. "We only want one thing...to show you the meaning of pain. You're gonna scream for us, and you're gonna bleed for us. Those things you won't be able to help...so you _will_ give us what we want."

Irma swallowed and knew the former palace guard was right. She still remembered the pounding fists, the cutting knives, the cracking whips. She _wouldn't_ be able to help bleeding...or screaming. She wasn't a Guardian now...she was just Irma Lair, teenager extraordinaire. She wouldn't have enhanced strength or endurance to help her endure the punishment she knew was coming.

But she refused to cry...at least, not yet.

She felt herself being dragged roughly to her feet as Frost grabbed the front of her shirt in his meaty hands. Her spat in her face, then moved his left hand to close around her tender throat. He lifted the young girl off the ground, laughing at her choking noises and pathetic attempts to free herself. The big Knight tossed his captive into the air, then punched her in the face with his fist. Irma cried out and tumbled through the air, landing heavily on her left side. She skidded through the dirt, the tiny rocks scraping the exposed flesh on her arms. Dazed and hurt, Irma lay still, trying to get her bearings.

Frost's booted foot lashed out and connected solidly with Irma's stomach. Her breath flew from her lungs and she heard a sickening crack. Then she felt herself dragged up by her hair. Unable to cry out, Irma could only gasp in fear as she was forced to her knees. Raythor held her arms firmly, while Tracker brandished his chain.

Irma's eyes slid fearfully to her left and she barely caught the flash of movement as Tracker's chain lashed towards her. It caught her on the left arm and Irma winced in pain. It was then that Miranda stepped forward and began cutting the young Guardian with her trademark silver knife. A dozen shallow cuts soon covered Irma's exposed arms.

As her breath began to return, Irma gasped shallowly. She knew at least one rib was broken, though it was probably more, and her jaw felt out of place. She was, indeed, bleeding as the Knights has prophesied, and she knew it was just a matter of time before she was sobbing, broken, on the ground.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Something had wrapped itself around her throat and was squeezing the life out of her. Irma's eyes bulged as she struggled to free her arms from Raythor's powerful grip.

But her struggles were in vain, and she felt herself black out.

--

Taranee and Will arrived back on Earth. The two friends parted ways and Taranee began the trek home. She couldn't shake a feeling of dread as she trudged the familiar lamp-lit streets. Something felt very, very wrong, but she didn't know what. Suddenly, a voice burst into her head.

_Taranee...please help me._

The Fire Guardian stopped dead in her tracks and listened closely. The voice had been so faint, as if spoken across a bad phone connection. Taranee couldn't make out the speaker, but she knew it had to be one of the Guardians, or one of the Council. After all, no one else could communicate with her telepathically.

The young girl contacted Will.

_Will, can you hear me?_

_Of course I can hear you. Did you miss me or something?_

_Will this is serious. Someone just contacted me telepathically with a plea for help. Was it you?_

_No it wasn't me. Hold on a sec, I'm getting a phone call._

Thirty seconds passed as Taranee waited for her friend. She was about to try contacting someone else, when Will's voice came through.

_Quick, I need an excuse as to why I haven't been answering my cell phone all day! My mom's going nuts on me._

Taranee's mind spun. How long had someone been calling Will?

_Taranee!_

The voice sounded again, but still the young Fire Witch could barely hear it. What she did know was that it sounded frightened. Taranee tried to focus on the problems at hand. One: Will needed an excuse. Two: they had to find out who that voice belonged to and render quick assistance.

_Tell your mom we were spelunking._

_What's that?_

_Just tell her!_

Another minute passed as Taranee waited impatiently.

_Okay, she seemed to buy that, T. Nice one. But we have a problem. Irma's missing, and no one knows where she is. She talked with Hay Lin and Yan Lin earlier this morning, but she hasn't been seen since. _

Taranee's blood froze. That voice had to belong to Irma...who else could it be? But why was it so faint? Even if Irma were on Meridian, the telepathic link should have been solid.

_Will, I think that telepathic voice belongs to Irma. It's really faint, but if she's missing then she has to be in trouble. _

_Can you make contact?_

_I'll try._

Taranee closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.

_Irma, is that you? Can you hear me?_

_Taranee, please, I need help._

_Where are you?_

_I don't know. _

_Can you describe it?_

_I can't...I can't..._

_Irma, please you have to try._

The connection was suddenly severed by a loud scream. A scream so full of agony it actually registered in Taranee's mind. The Guardian winced and clapped her hands over her ears. She gritted her teeth and willed the awful sound to stop. It seemed to last forever but finally it subsided. Taranee had never heard such a primal scream...and it frightened her.

As the last of the cacophony died out, Taranee released her ears and let out a relieved breath. She swallowed hard and tried to reconnect to her friend.

_Irma? Are you still there?_

Only silence greeted her attempts.

_Irma?_

Still nothing.

_Will, I contacted Irma for a second, but we got cut off. She's in serious trouble, and doesn't know where she is. I...I heard her scream, and I think she may be...Will, we have to find her, quickly._

Silence prevailed for a few seconds, and for a moment, Taranee thought her telepathy must be off. Then Will's quiet voice broke in.

_I think we both know what's happened, T. The Knights of Vengeance have to be involved. They took Irma and they're torturing her again._

Taranee closed her eyes again and took a moment to realize the implications of Will's thoughts. They had killed Irma last time...what would they do for an encore? The only comfort Taranee could derive was that at least Nerissa wasn't involved this time.

Then a thought struck her. _Will, how would the Knights get to Earth?_

Several seconds passed. _I don't know. Maybe they stole Blunk's tooth or something. All I know is I can feel that they're involved. I don't know how I know...I just do._

_I agree with you, but where would they have taken her?_

_I don't know, T. I called Hay Lin and it went straight to voice mail. Can you see if you can contact her?_

_I'll give it a shot._

Taranee shifted her focus to the smallest Guardian.

_Hay Lin, can you hear me?_

_I hear you, Taranee._

_Where are you? Why aren't you answering your cell phone?_

Taranee could almost hear the sigh in Hay Lin's voice. _I'm at Irma's house getting the third degree from her dad. Since Grandma and I were the last ones to see her, he wants to know everything we talked about. I never knew my grandma could lie so good._

_Hay Lin, Irma's in trouble. Will thinks she's been taken by the KOV._

_The KOV? Oh not again!_

_Can you get away? We need to Guardian-up and find her._

_Give me a second._

Several minutes passed. Then Hay Lin's concerned voice sounded in Taranee's head. _Okay, I faked a puking attack and they let me go. Guess they figured the stress was too much for me. _

Under different circumstances, Taranee would have enjoyed that visual. Now she was too worried to even think about it.

_We're going to meet at Shell Cave as soon as possible._

_I'm already on my way._

_Alright, we'll see you there._

_Taranee?_

_Yeah?_

_What's going on? How do you and Will know that Irma's been taken by the KOV?_

Taranee gritted her teeth. This was something she was hoping Hay Lin wouldn't ask.

_Hay Lin, Irma contacted me telepathically and said she needed help. She was trying to describe where she is, when we got cut off._

_Cut off? Cut off by what?_

Taranee swallowed. _By a scream, Hay Lin. By a scream._

_Irma's scream?!_

_Yes._

_I'm coming as fast as I can._

_Come faster._

--

Irma came to and knew nothing but pain. She coughed violently, causing her broken ribs to scream with agony. She noticed she was on her hands and knees, and she brought her left hand up to her throat. She could feel deep grooves in the tender flesh, and she knew she had come very close to dying.

Irma continued to cough and her ribs continued to scream. Suddenly, she felt her throat constrict again as something hot wrapped around her flesh. She fell to the ground and clawed at the object around her neck. She could vaguely hear the Knights laughing as Tracker tightened the chain around the Young Guardian's throat.

Mercifully, Irma blacked out again.

--

Will, Taranee, and Hay Lin arrived at Shell Cave in record time. Quickly, Will transformed herself and her friends into Guardians and created a fold to Candracar. As the three friends stepped through, they were immediately joined by Cornelia.

"Taranee contacted me and filled me in. Where do we start?"

"With the Oracle," Will answered. "Let's see if he can locate Irma somehow."

The Guardians trooped into the Fortress and found the Oracle and Halinor waiting for them.

"I've been trying to contact Irma, but have found no success," Halinor said.

"I have also met with frustration," the Oracle said. "The Guardian is in danger. I can feel her pain."

"But where is she?" Hay Lin asked, a little stronger than she meant to.

The Oracle shook his bald head. "I do not know, young Guardian."

"Well I doubt she's on Earth," Cornelia said. "If the KOV found a way to get there, then they have a way to get back to Meridian. I think they would take her there so there's no chance of getting caught by some stray Earthling."

"I agree with Cornelia," Hay Lin said.

Taranee was pensive. "Maybe, but if the KOV got to Earth, what's to say it wasn't a one-way trip? The KOV aren't the brightest crayons in the box, so getting caught may not be something that actually occurred to them. And if it did, they probably don't care."

"Ooo, I agree with Taranee," Hay Lin said.

"Well I agree with Cornelia," Will piped up. "I doubt Irma's still on Earth, and I think the first place we should check is their last-known lair."

"You mean the cave that collapsed?" Halinor asked.

"Only part of that cave collapsed," Will explained. "Taranee hit it on the head when she said the Knights aren't very bright. I doubt they would think to find a new lair when they already have a perfectly good one at hand."

"But they must know we know by now," Taranee said. "Wouldn't they think that cave would be the first place we would look?"

"Maybe," Will answered. "But what else do we have to go on right now?"

"Good point," Taranee conceded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hay Lin piped up, pounding her fist into her hand. "Let's go get our friend and kick some evil butt in the process."

--

For the third time, Irma awoke from her near-death experience. Tracker seemed to be a master at choking his victims to the very brink of death, only to allow them to awaken and experience it all over again. Irma's nose was bleeding, and her throat was raw. Her ribs screamed in agony from all the coughing, and she was starting to spit-up blood.

She felt herself pushed face-first into the ground, as a great booted foot placed itself in her lower back. Too weak to resist, Irma could only groan in pain as her blood-covered lips ate some dirt. She was vaguely aware of her arms being forced over her head, and her shirt being pulled off.

Then Tracker's chain connected with the young Guardian's back. Irma screamed in pain as the chain connected again and again, leaving great welts in her skin. The beating seemed to last an eternity, and just as Irma felt herself about to black out again, the torture suddenly ceased.

Not that Irma was complaining, but she did wonder why the Knights had stopped. Painfully, she pushed herself to her knees and raised her head. Her vision bleary, she blinked several times to clear it.

And couldn't believe what she saw.

Standing over her, blocking the light of the moon, was none other than her nemesis, Nerissa.

Irma's eyes widened, and her breathing accelerated. Her heartbeat quickened, and she felt tears beginning to well up in her pain-filled eyes.

_It can't be. Not her!_

"No...no. You can't be here. You're dead...you're dead!"

The old hag smiled blissfully and knelt in front of her captive. She took Irma's chin in her hand.

"Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," the witch cooed. "As you can see, I am very much alive."

Irma wanted to struggle, to rip her chin from the hag's hand, but fear and pain held her helplessly frozen.

"But you were buried alive by Elyon, under tons of snow. How is it possible that you lived?"

Nerissa stroked her prisoner's chin in a motherly fashion. "Because, dearheart, I am Nerissa, and I am eternal. Nothing can kill me, not even Queen Elyon of Meridian. She has been dealt with, and now I can move on to the next blissful step of my vengeance...you."

Irma wanted so badly to be strong and to put on a brave face in front of her enemy, but her emotions betrayed her and she let out a strangled sob. "Why are you doing this? What did I do?"

Nerissa frowned and lowered her brows. Releasing Irma's chin, the old hag slapped the young Guardian hard across the mouth. Irma cried out as she tasted blood.

"You were born!" Nerissa spat as she stood up. "You stood up to me when you shouldn't have been able to even stand. You defied me when you should have been broken and hopeless. You gave your friends time to thwart my most perfect plan because you refused to yield to your rightful mistress. Now you're going to pay for your insolence!"

With that, Nerissa's foot lashed out, catching Irma under the chin. The teenager fell onto her back with a cry of pain. Dizzy and disoriented, the young girl never saw it coming...

...but she felt it.

White-hot lightning snaked from Nerissa's fingers, striking Irma in the stomach. The Guardian screamed and writhed in agony as the tendrils licked at her exposed flesh.

For what seemed an eternity, the merciless torture continued, and all the while Nerissa taunted her victim. Irma had already passed out many times from the pain, only to be forcibly awoken to experience the burning agony anew. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold out any longer...so she reached out with her mind.

_Taranee...please help me_

Irma wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she was hoping for an immediate answer. When one didn't come, she tried again.

_Taranee!_

Still there was no answer and Irma resigned herself to the fact that her friend simply couldn't hear her. Perhaps it was the mountain of pain, or perhaps she simply wasn't strong enough. But something prevented Taranee from hearing her cries for help.

Again, wicked tendrils flashed out and burned the young girl. Irma was hoarse from screaming, but still the lightning ripped another from her throat. Then she heard it...

_Irma, is that you? Can you hear me?_

Irma was certain it was Taranee and not a figment of her imagination. An overwhelming sense of urgency filled her breast.

_Taranee, please, I need help._

_Where are you?_

Irma looked around and tried to register any landmarks that may help her friends find her. Unfortunately, all she could see through her hazy vision was desert.

_I don't know. _

_Can you describe it?_

The young Water Witch was about to respond when another flash of lightning caught her in the stomach. She screamed again and again. Irma fought to stay conscious when the attack finally ceased, but she knew it was a losing battle. The smell of her burning flesh and the raw sight of it assaulted Irma's senses. She was vaguely aware of Nerissa striding towards her, and the teenager struggled to get Taranee the information her friend needed.

But she couldn't think...the pain was too great.

_I can't...I can't..._

Then Nerissa reached her captive and stretched forth her hand. Irma trembled with agony and terror. The old witch said nothing, merely placed her hand on Irma's chest.

_Irma, please you have to try._

"I have been toying with you, Guardian. Until now, I have not used my powers to their fullest. I wanted you to suffer like I suffered for decades. Your affinity with water makes you most vulnerable to my beautiful lightning. Your screams have been sweet music to my ears. But all good things must come to an end...so this is where you die."

With that, the awful lightning snaked across the young Guardian's chest, searing the tender flesh beneath Nerissa's hand. The old witch laughed with glee at the Guardian's screams. Irma's mouth eventually became a silent O as the bolts took even her voice away.

Then...only silence.

--

**Thank you all for reading Chapter 12. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind, please let me know what y'all think. Your comments are greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks again. Cheers!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome, my friends, to another installment of What Price Vengeance in the Whale Pit. Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted to really think about things before I put them on paper. Anyway, I want to thank all my reviewers: Wolfgurl211 (Congrats for being the first to review the chappie); DayDreamer9 (You're right...Nerissa is being very petty, isn't she.); Darev (There will be much toe-stepping later. Stay tuned); XV-Dragon (Would I kill Irma...? Laughs maniacally); Philip Gipson (I watched the T-Cats growing up. I'm familiar with them); Lost Prince (Yes, I enjoy leaving cliffhangers...love to mom); Krystal of Nol (Welcome back!!! I've missed you); Nightroad (Nerissa isn't done yet); The Pink1 (The Underdog theme...cute); Cartoonloverfan101 (Thank you for sticking with me); laserleg (Good thought...keep em coming); Nerd4eva (Careful of the hair, m'dear); Starwin (Thank you for your compliments...they mean a lot to me); Nemrut (Spelunking is a funny word, eh?); Magnafreak326 (Let's see if Irma is dead...).**

**Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your reviews keep my motivated and keep me going. Here's shout-out to Ice Silver Crystal. How you living, girl? I miss you and hope you're doing alright.**

**Now without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 13**

..._Desert...desert..._

Taranee heard the words in her head and snapped her neck around to face Will.

"Will, I just heard Irma. She's in the desert."

Will pulled up sharply. She and her friends had been flying towards their enemies' last-known hideout. That happened to be a cave near a great lake on Meridian. Now as Taranee said the word "desert," Will feared they were heading in the wrong direction.

"Are you sure, T?" Will asked. "Irma doesn't have time for us to be wrong about this."

Taranee nodded. "Yes, Will, I'm sure. We need to find a desert."

"Well it's a cinch there's no desert near that cave the goons were using," Cornelia said, scanning the horizon as if she could will a desert into being.

"We need a navigator," Will said, the desperation clear in her voice. "Taranee, contact Halinor and see if she knows where on Meridian we can find a desert."

The Fire Guardian nodded and placed her fingers to her temple.

_Halinor, we need your help._

_Taranee, this is Halinor. Have you found Irma? Is she alright?_

_We haven't found her yet; that's why we need your help._

_What can I do?_

_Halinor, we need to know where we can find a desert. I heard Irma say the word "desert" just a few minutes ago. We all think that's where we need to go._

_I agree with you, Taranee. I do know of a desert on Meridian; it's called Zyroc Desert. I'm sending you a mental picture of its location, to the best of my memory._

Taranee waited while a mental map formed in her mind.

_I see it, Halinor. We'll head that way now. Thank you._

_Please find her, Guardians._

Taranee cut the mental link and opened her eyes.

"We need to head this way," she said, indicating a northerly direction. "I don't think we're far away."

The Guardians resumed their breakneck flight, all thinking the same thing...what if they were already too late?

–

Irma knew she was about to die, but that wasn't going to stop her from revealing Nerissa's location to her friends. Most of the pain had suddenly receded for some reason. Irma had no idea why, but she wasn't about to question her good fortune. Relief flooded her beleaguered mind as she reached out with her thoughts.

_...Desert...desert..._

Irma could only hope Taranee was tuned in to radio telepathy, as blackness finally claimed her.

–

"I can feel Irma!" Taranee shouted, as the Guardians neared their destination. It had only been five minutes since Halinor had sent the location of Zyroc Desert, and seven minutes since Taranee had heard Irma's last message. Still, it had seemed a lifetime to the Guardians.

Taranee suddenly pulled up short, causing Hay Lin to rush headlong into her pink-clad back.

"Oof. Taranee, what's the big id-"

The Fire witch held up her hand for silence. "It can't be," she said, after a moment.

"What is it?" Will asked impatiently. They really didn't have time for this.

"I can feel the KOV...and someone else."

Taranee turned, her face a mask of horror. Her voice was flat when she spoke.

"It's Nerissa."

"No way," Cornelia exclaimed. "That bitch is dead!"

"We saw Elyon bury her alive under tons of snow," Hay Lin gasped. "She can't be alive."

"I don't really care what she can't be," Taranee said. "I know what I feel."

"But-"

"We don't have time to argue," Will cut off Hay Lin. "Nerissa will kill Irma if we don't save her. She has to be out for blood; we have to hurry more than ever now."

The Guardians resumed their flight again, each one willing her incandescent wings to beat faster.

When they finally arrived at their intended destination, they saw the Knights of Vengeance gathered in a small circle around two figures. One was the prone, unmoving form of Irma Lair...the other, kneeling beside her, was most definitely Nerissa.

With a cry, Will sent a blast of lightning screaming towards the the old crone. Quicker than anyone would have thought possible, Nerissa spun and deflected the bolt with her staff.

Thrice more Nerissa deflected the Guardians' attempts to fell her, all the while smiling gleefully.

The Knights of Vengeance turned as one and gazed calmly up at their enemies. None of them moved a muscle, save for the twitching of their smiling lips.

The Guardians pulled up and watched the surreal scene. No way was Nerissa strong enough to deflect their attacks. They had seen her use shields before, but never had they witnessed her using her staff in that way.

"Something's different," Will observed.

"Who cares?" Hay Lin cried, not taking her eyes from her fallen friend. "We have to get to Irma, now!"

"Cornelia, can you create a sandstorm to blind the KOV while Taranee and I go for Irma?"

"One sandstorm coming up, oh Fearless Leader," Cornelia replied.

The tallest Guardian spread her arms wide and commanded the sands of the desert to rise and whirl. The grains obeyed their mistress and soon sand stung the eyes and mouths of the Knights of Vengeance. They covered their heads and howled. Nerissa only smiled and raised a shield around herself.

Will and Taranee bolted towards Irma, intent on freeing their friend from evil's grasp. A bolt of deadly lightning hit Taranee in the left shoulder, knocking her back. Through sheer force of will, and good old-fashioned stubbornness, the Fire Guardian shook off the force and continued towards her target.

Another bolt laced the sky towards the two diving girls. They dodged and continued their descent. More and more bolts lit up the sky until a small whirlwind suddenly knocked the evil sorceress off her feet. With the witch temporarily stunned, Will dove in quickly and scooped Irma off the ground.

The girl hung limply in her leader's arms.

"Hay Lin, Cornelia, some cover-fire please!" Will yelled, as she and Taranee rapidly flew towards safety. Will could feel lightning singe her back as another searing bolt came way too close for comfort.

Cornelia caused dozens of tiny pebbles to hurl themselves at the sorceress, while Hay Lin used the winds to blind her. The pebbles bounced harmlessly off the shield, but the howling sandstorm and Hay Lin's winds interfered with Nerissa's vision.

Bolts of lightning flew haphazardly around the sky, as the evil witch attempted to halt her enemies' flight. Will knew it would take just one lucky shot to fell the rescue attempt, so she stopped in midair an created a fold to Candracar.

As leader, Will knew her primary concern had to be the safety of her friends. But at the moment, her attention was focused on just one of them. Hoping that her fellow Guardians would follow her lead, Will dived through the fold, as another bolt tore the air where she had just been hovering. Nerissa had managed to create a space of calm in the storms, and was now shooting murderous lightning at the fold.

One of the deadly tendrils lashed Will across her back as she dove through the fold. The electric fingers grasped at her even as she tumbled to the floor of the Fortress Between Worlds just seconds later. Even so, the lighting continued to pound through the fold, electrifying the air of Candracar.

Several bolts struck the Guardian Leader as she lay prone, protecting her precious cargo with her body. She couldn't take the time to close the fold for fear more of the tendrils would strike Irma.

Suddenly, Will's body stopped absorbing the murderous electricity, and she chanced to look up. Luba was standing in front of the fold, between the attacking energy and the Guardians. The deadly bolts now struck the big cat.

Will refused to let Luba sacrifice herself. Twisting painfully around, she held out the Heart of Candracar to close the fold, even though it would mean her friends would be effectively trapped with a murderous foe. Before the process could even begin, however, a massive crimson bubble formed around the fold, blocking and absorbing the lightning attacks. Will turned her head and saw the Oracle, his arms outstretched, standing behind her.

Turning her attention back to the fold, Will quickly closed it. Luba collapsed in a heap. The smell of burning flesh and fur filled the electrified air. Too hurt to move, Will could only cry out Luba's name.

The Oracle hurried to the fallen feline's side. The bald man stretched forth his hand and placed it on Luba's singed brow. He muttered some strange words Will couldn't quite make out, and a soft blue light began to emanate from his fingers. Gradually the light expanded until it surrounded the Caretaker. The cat's back arched, then, as the Oracle's incantation became louder and more frenzied. Will shielded her eyes as bright, white light filled the room. Then it was over; everything was as it had been before.

Will lowered her hand and blinked several times. Luba lay unmoving on the floor of the fortress.

Gradually, Will became aware of a presence behind her. Twisting her head, she wasn't surprised to see Halinor. The former Guardian was looking at her with concern-filled eyes, and trying to tend to her injuries.

"No, Halinor, I can wait," the Guardian leader said. "We need to get Irma to her Chamber. Help me please."

As Will made to stand up, her back screamed in pain, and the young Guardian collapsed with a cry. Tibor and Althor rushed forward, but Will fended off their attempts to aid her.

"Please, see to Irma. I can wait."

"Tibor and Althor will take care of Irma, Will," Halinor soothed. "But you need help, too. Let me render that aid."

"Is she alive?" Will asked, almost afraid of the answer. "Please tell me she's okay."

Tibor examined the fallen Guardian and then looked deep into Will's eyes. Sadly, he shook his big, bearded head.

Tears welled up in Will's big brown eyes and she let out a strangled cry. "No...no! Wake her up, wake her up now! She can't be dead; she wouldn't leave us!"

"Will..." Halinor said softly, reaching a hand towards the redhead's shoulder.

The Guardian shook off that hand and crawled towards her fallen friend.

"Wake up!" she shouted, pounding her fists on Irma's chest. "Wake up! Don't leave us...don't leave us."

The Council stood back and let the young Guardian vent her pain.

"The Joining...we can do the Joining," Will suddenly said, her eyes becoming brighter. "Quick, we have to get it all set up."

"No Guardian can survive two Joinings," the Oracle said softly as he joined the group around Irma. "It would kill your friend, young Guardian."

"She's already dead; what difference does it make?"

"It will not bring her back, Guardian. It is a futile gesture and would likely destroy the Elemental Chamber of Water in the process."

"I don't care! We have to try!" Will shouted.

The Oracle only stood motionless, his eyes beginning to well up.

"We all feel your loss, Guardian, but you must learn to let go now."

"No, dammit, I won't just let go," Will shouted. She began again to pound on Irma's badly-burned chest with her fists.

"Wake up, damn you," she ordered. "Fight! Don't let Nerissa defeat you; not after everything you've been through. You can't let her win; you can't."

Will sobbed openly, as she threw herself across her friend's unmoving form. She cried bitterly, her tears soaking Irma's bra.

"How are we supposed to go on without you? How will Hay Lin survive?" Will sobbed. "We need you, Irma. We all need you. Please...don't leave us. You have to fight."

Irma remained motionless, her badly-burned torso showing no signs of breathing, and her damaged heart showing no signs of beating.

–

Three Guardians saw their leader create a fold and dive through.

_Good,_ Hay Lin thought, _at least Irma is safe now._

She and her friends flew quickly towards the fold, only to be cut off by a murderous assault of lightning. The three friends quickly flew away, knowing they couldn't get through the fold under such an assault.

_We have to get out of here,_ Taranee sent a desperate telepathic message.

_No way; we can take her._

_No, Cornelia, we can't. We're down two members and Nerissa has the Heart of Meridian._

_What? How do you know that, Taranee?_

_Because, Cornelia, I saw it when Will and I were trying to get to Irma. It's in her staff; I would recognize it anywhere. _

_Oh crap, _Hay Lin exclaimed. _Now what do we do?_

_We get out of here and hide as best we can. We have to move quickly._

The three friends took off at breakneck speed, hoping desperately to escape their murderous enemy.

"You cannot hide, Guardians," Nerissa shouted. "Anywhere you go I will find you. I will kill you all!"

The Guardians paid the witch no heed as they made their escape. None of them had any doubt she would make good on that promise if she got the chance.

"Run, Guardians, run!" Nerissa shouted, laughing gleefully. "I love a good hunt!"

The witch continued to laugh as the friends disappeared from view. With a wave of her staff, she stopped the sandstorm and the howling winds. The Knights of Vengeance rubbed their eyes and coughed the sand from their lungs.

"They're gone," Raythor observed after a time. "And they've taken the Water Guardian with them."

Nerissa smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's true."

"But your vengeance..."

"Can now be focused on the remaining Guardians. The Water Brat is already dead, so I let them all go. I expect her friends will be coming for some vengeance of their own. I will crush them like ants and force Will to surrender the Heart of Candracar before I kill her friends in front of her. She shall be the last to go."

Raythor had no doubt his mistress could do everything she said. After all, she had the Heart of Meridian, and the Guardians would be severely weakened without one of their number. Not to mention they would be enraged and prone to make mistakes. In this condition, there was no way they could stand up to Nerissa. Raythor smiled evilly and joined his mistress in her mirth.

–

Will cried quietly, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She lay prone over her friend's torso, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. She began to blow great breaths of air into Irma's mouth, just like she had seen Cornelia do at the cave weeks ago. She didn't care if she was doing it wrong...Irma was already dead, after all; what could it hurt?

All of a sudden, Irma's chest rose and she took a great gasp of air. Her eyes flew open and she began to cough. Will was so shocked she fell back. She grunted in pain as she landed on her injured back.

The council's eyes all widened at the miracle and they turned to the Oracle. The bald man simply shook his head.

"You all know I cannot heal a Guardian."

Irma's blue eyes darted around the room, her breathing coming in ragged, wheezing gasps. She seemed confused and frightened.

Will struggled to her knees and placed her hands gently on Irma's ravaged cheeks.

"Irma, don't try to talk. You're safe now."

Irma's frightened eyes try to focus on her leader, only to screw themselves up with pain.

"Will..."

"We must get the Guardian to her Chamber," the Oracle said, motioning to Tibor. The big man stepped forward and lifted Irma into his powerful arms. The young Guardian cried out in pain as Tibor lifted her. Her pathetic whimpers could be heard as he exited.

The Oracle turned his attention to Will. "I will assist you to your Chamber, Guardian. You are gravely injured, and require attention."

"What just happened? Irma was dead then suddenly she was alive. How is it possible?"

"I can only surmise your efforts to revive her proved successful. By beating on her chest, it is likely you caused her heart to beat, albeit erratically. Your breath of life brought her back to us. Well done, Guardian. I praise you for your diligence and your unwillingness to give in. Now allow me to assist you to your Chamber."

"No. My friends need help. I have to get back to them."

"Your devotion to the other Guardians is admirable. However, you are in no condition to assist them now. You must recover for a few hours then go to them."

"No," Will said, pushing herself painfully to her feet. "I have to...ahhh!"

She collapsed to the floor, her eyes squeezed shut and her hand flying to her injured back. She felt herself lifted off the floor and carried from the room. As the great door closed behind her, she opened her eyes and saw the Oracle carrying her. Normally Will would have been mortified by this, but she was barely conscious due to the pain.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"You are welcome, Guardian."

"Wait...Luba. What about Luba?"

"Halinor and Althor are attending her."

"But is she okay?"

"I have healed her. She must rest for a time."

"She saved my life," Will said softly. "I've never seen anything so brave."

"Luba has great courage."

"And she'll be alright?"

"She will," the Oracle nodded.

"Thank goodness," Will sighed, laying her head against the Oracle's shoulder. She felt exhausted.

After a time, Will said, "My friends...they need me. Can't I please just open a fold for them to come through?"

"Your friends, if they are wise, are long gone from your battlefield. They will not stay to battle an enemy that outnumbers them."

"I have to contact Taranee."

We should ask Halinor to do that. You must rest now, Guardian."

"I'm well enough to contact Taranee and find out where she is. I can open a fold and get them through. Please put me down for a second."

The Oracle sighed but did as Will requested. He helped her slowly sit down against a silver wall. Will closed her eyes and concentrated on her friend.

_Taranee, can you hear me?_

_Will! What happened? Is Irma alright?_

_Irma's okay...sort of. _

_What do you mean, 'sort of?'_

_Taranee, she was dead for several minutes. So much so that the Oracle told me to let her go. But I brought her back by imitating Cornelia. She's in her Chamber now. _

Taranee was silent.

_T?_

_I'm here, Will. Just trying to soak it all in. That's twice she's killed Irma, now. We have to stop her or she'll just keep going after her._

_I agree. Where are you? I want to send a fold._

_Not really sure. We're just sort of flying and trying to stay ahead of the lightning. Gargoyle keeps throwing rocks, too. One of them hit Corny; I think her arm is broken. _

Will gritted her teeth. She should never have left them. _Can you get back to where you were? Maybe double-back or something? I can't send a fold if I don't know where you are. And...I'm too hurt to come after you right now._

_What happened, Will?_

Will gritted her teeth against the pain that threatened to overwhelm her. _I got hit by lightning several times. It came right through the fold. _

_Oh, Will, how bad is it?_

_It hurts quite a lot, actually. I don't think I can walk on my own. The Oracle, of all people, is carrying me to my Chamber. _

_We'll try to get back to where we were. I'll contact you when we get there. Take care of yourself, Will._

_You be careful, Taranee._

Will cut the mental link and looked imploringly at the Oracle.

"I need to wait until Taranee contacts me again. They're on the run from Nerissa and her goons."

The Oracle nodded. "I am warmed by your devotion to your friends, Guardian. It shall be as you wish."

They sat in silence for a time, until Will spoke up.

"You don't seem terribly surprised that Nerissa is back."

"Quite the contrary," the Oracle replied. "I, too, believed she was gone for good."

"Yet when I just said my friends are running from Nerissa, you didn't even blink."

"I do not know what other power could create such precise lightning strikes other than Quintessence. As unlikely as it may seem, the most logical explanation was that Nerissa is not as dead as we would believe."

Will blinked...she supposed it was pretty logical. Still, seeing that old bag had been quite a shock to her system.

"Well it surprised me," she said.

The Oracle nodded and smiled thinly. "Of that, I am certain."

They sat in awkward silence, waiting for Taranee's signal.

–

_We have to what?_

_We have to double-back, Hay Lin. Will can't send us a fold unless she knows where we are, and our last know location was in that desert._

_That's gong to take us right back through the line of fire._

_I know, Cornelia, but what choice do we have? We can't just keep running, and we need to get out of here fast._

_We could turn around and kick some ass..._

_Cornelia, you know we can't. As long as Nerissa's in the mix, we don't stand a chance. She's got a Heart, we're down two members, and you're hurt. Tell me how those odds are good._

_Not for them, anyway._

Taranee had to smile at Cornelia's confidence. She knew her friend had to be in pain, yet she was still putting up a brave front.

_Sorry, Cornelia, but we have to think smart now. We can try to...ughn._

A bolt of lightning struck Taranee in the back, and sent her plummeting towards the ground. Hay Lin reacted quickly and caught her friend before she could hit the unforgiving earth.

"Taranee? Are you okay?"

"Oh...I-I think so. There's no way we can double-back; Nerissa just brings too much firepower to the party. We'll just have to try and hide until Will can find us."

"That's going to be easier said than done..." Hay Lin said, as another bolt of lightning whizzed past her ear.

The three friends resumed their flight and hoped they could stay ahead of their pursuers.

–

**There it folks, chapter 13. I know it was kind of short by my standards, but hey...at least I wrote something. Let me know what you thought, if you should feel so inclined. If not, that's okay too...I appreciate y'all taking the time to read. Have a lovely. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Welcome to the Whale Pit again. I thank everyone for visiting and hope you will stay for a while. **

**I would like to thank everyone who read my last chapter, and especially to those who left reviews: Heart of the Demons (congrats on being the first to review the chapter. Go Voltron!); XV Dragon (I was hoping someone would notice Luba's actions); Lost Prince (Greetings to you and mom); Nemrut (Sorry to disappoint with keeping Irma alive...but keep reading. You have good instincts); Starwin (I love your reviews...Phobos in a miniskirt? Eww...); Nerd4eva (No panicking...she's not dead. Yet...); The Pink1 (Thanks for the chuckle...I loved the review); Wolfgurl211 (Thanks for the compliments. Sorry about the tears...); Krystal of Nol (Sorry about the scare.); cartoonloverfan101 (Let's find out what's up with Nerissa); Nightroad (Hehe...Irma does seem to have nine lives); Shocklance (Will saves Irma's butt again); Darev (I always enjoy reading your reviews...they always make me smile); DayDreamer9 (I laughed at your first line); Darkyse (Welcome to the Whale Pit...thank you for your compliments).**

**I thank everyone who submitted a review...I do read them all many times, and I appreciate every one of them. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Now without further ado, may I present, for your enjoyment...**

**Chapter 14**

Three Guardians huddled in a massive cave, a small fireball their only respite from the imposing darkness. Cornelia had sealed the entrance with large stones, while Hay Lin provided the breath of life they so badly needed. None of them believed for one second that Nerissa couldn't find their hiding place, but it was the only option available.

"Thank you for the light, Taranee," Hay Lin said, breaking the silence that had existed since the cave entrance had been sealed. "It helps to be able to see a little."

Taranee nodded but said nothing. She had been trying to contact Will for the past several hours, but was having no luck. She hoped her leader was simply in her Chamber and that Nerissa hadn't found some way to block telepathy.

"And thanks, Cornelia for sealing the entrance to the cave. Maybe it will take a while for the KOV to get through all those rocks."

"Maybe..." Cornelia replied, although her voice inflected little faith. She had every confidence that Gargoyle could make short work of her feeble attempts to keep her friends safe. Without Will and Irma, her powers just weren't what they should be, and she knew her friends' powers were in the same dire straits.

"Aw come on, guys," Hay Lin urged. "We have to have a little faith in Will. She'll find us and then we can regroup."

Cornelia knew what Hay Lin was trying to do, but could only offer a weak grin. Still, she had to try to be strong for her friends, in spite of her broken left arm.

"The important thing is Irma is alive," the tallest Guardian said, cradling her arm against her chest.

"Right," Hay Lin echoed, pounding her fist into her hand. "And if that's the case, then her Chamber can heal her completely. Then we can all take the fight to Nerissa instead of being forced to run and hide."

"Long as Irma doesn't come out of this a carrot," Cornelia mumbled.

Hay Lin was about to retort when something made her stop. She thought about the damage Irma had taken mentally and emotionally after being held for five days and tortured by Nerissa. True, she had only endured a few hours at most this time around, but what if it had been enough to undo all the healing Irma had done? That girl had fought so hard to keep her sanity, and now...? What if Cornelia was right and that fight had been in vain? Hay Lin closed her mouth sadly, and said nothing.

Taranee paid little attention to the banter, as she tried again to contact Will. After the attempt proved unsuccessful, the Guardian sighed and decided to take a different approach.

_Halinor, can you hear me?_

Silence...

_Halinor, please, it's Taranee. We need help._

Several minutes went by, then...

_Taranee, I can barely hear you. Your voice is so faint._

Taranee rejoiced slightly. At least Nerissa wasn't responsible for her telepathic messages not getting through...at least, not directly.

_Halinor, it's a relief to hear you. _

_What's happening, Taranee?_

_We've been running for hours. We're exhausted and hurt. We need Will._

_Will passed out a few hours ago and the Oracle took her to her Chamber to recover. She's been there ever since. _

_I was afraid of that. How is she, Halinor?_

_She's been burned pretty badly, but her Chamber should be able to handle it. She may have some scars when it's all said and done, but she'll be alive and able to fight._

Taranee held her breath as she asked her next question.

_And Irma?_

There was a slight pause. _Irma is not so good. She took a brutal beating and her burns are extensive. She has multiple cuts and the bruising is quite deep. I'm with her now._

_Halinor, tell me the truth...will she recover?_

_I believe she will, yes. But it's going to take some time. The good news is she was awake when she was carried to her Chamber. She recognized Will, so that means there's little, or no, brain damage. _

Taranee let out the breath she had been holding. No brain damage...that was excellent news.

_Taranee, hold on a minute, please._

Taranee wasn't sure she liked being put on telepathic hold, but what choice did she have? She waited impatiently for Halinor to return. While she did so, she reported to her friends what she had learned. When she had finished, Cornelia was the first to speak.

"Sounds like we got lucky again. You know...I'm really tired of just barely escaping this bitch. We so need to go on the offensive for once."

Hay Lin nodded, though her lower lip was quivering. "Nerissa probably wouldn't expect us to come after her right now. Maybe we should try to fight our way back to the desert?"

"Yeah. At least that way Will would know where to look for us," Cornelia said. "She may even be looking for us in the wrong place right now. If we tear out of here like bats out of hell, maybe we can break through."

"I haven't heard anything since we got into this cave," Hay Lin said, picking up Cornelia's thoughts. "Maybe they don't even know we're here. Taranee, can you feel them at all?"

The Fire Guardian shook her head. "No, but that doesn't really mean anything at this point. Without Will and Irma, my powers are so weak, Halinor can barely hear me. I have to practically shout, and even then, my telepathic voice is very faint. I doubt I could feel a herd of wildebeests right now, let alone the Knights of Vengeance."

"You mean they could just be waiting out there?" Hay Lin sounded fearful.

"They could," Taranee replied. "It's not like we have anywhere we can go. We're trapped in here like bugs in a roach motel."

"I'm too pretty to be compared to a roach," Cornelia scoffed, flipping her long blond hair.

"Then what do we do?" Hay Lin asked.

Four eyes glued themselves to Taranee, waiting for instructions. The Fire Guardian gulped. What made her the leader all of a sudden?

The way Taranee saw it, they had two choices: Either sit tight and wait for rescue, or blast their way out of the cave and try to get back to the desert.

On the one hand, waiting in the cave was a dire thought. It was cold and damp, and Taranee hated to be closed in. Cornelia's broken arm wasn't getting any better, and in her weakened and exhausted state, Hay Lin's breath of life couldn't possibly last forever.

On the other hand, they had heard no sign of the KOV since they had sealed themselves in. That could mean they were effectively hidden for the time-being, and the more time they could give Will, the better. Taranee knew where the cave was in relation to the desert, so mentally directing her leader to their hiding place wouldn't be too difficult.

Taranee turned her thoughts to the other choice.

Blasting their way out could mean flying right into a carefully-prepared ambush. The KOV could well be waiting for them right outside the entrance, knowing the Guardians would eventually try to escape. If that were the case, then they would certainly be subdued in a matter of seconds.

However, if the KOV truly were looking in the wrong place, and the Guardians truly had lost their pursuers, then the path back to the desert could well be clear. The ideal solution presented in the form of returning to the original battlefield so Will could pick them up quickly. Surely her Chamber would have her fixed up by the time they returned to the desert, and Will would be waiting for them.

Taranee groaned as she felt a headache coming on. Since when was she qualified to make decisions like this? Will was the leader, not her. But Will wasn't here, and Taranee's friends were counting on her to get them safely back to Candracar. She wracked her brain for the wisdom that wouldn't come. She made a decision, and had just opened her mouth to speak when Halinor interrupted.

_Taranee, it's Halinor. Are you there?_

Taranee held up her hand and closed her eyes.

_I'm here, Halinor. _

_Taranee, Will is awake and here with me. She wants to talk to you. _

_T? It's Will. Can you hear me?_

_Barely. Oh, Will, it's so good to hear your voice. How are you feeling?_

_I'm alright, T. The pain is gone, and I'm ready to kick some tail. Where are you?_

_We're sealed up in a cave for the time being. We're doing a fabulous job of hiding from Nerissa._

_You did the right thing. I want you to stay there and wait for me. _

_Okay, but be careful. The KOV could be holed up right outside waiting for you._

_I'll watch myself. Wait a second...aren't you claustrophobic?_

Taranee shuddered visibly. _Not so much claustrophobic as I'm just really afraid of small, enclosed spaces._

_And gila monsters, and spiders, and belly button lint, and creepy bus drivers, and-_

_Irma?!_

Taranee could practically hear the smirk on her friend's face. _What gave me away?_

"Guys, guys, I've got Irma," Taranee said excitedly. "She's awake and making smart-aleck remarks."

Hay Lin's eyes lit up and she leaned a little closer to her telepathic friend.

_Irma! Irma, I don't know what to say. It's so good to hear you. How are you?_

_Hopping mad and ready for some payback. Those bastards have earned a one-way ticket to Hell._

Taranee's laugh of relief echoed around the cave. _We were all afraid you would have some sort of brain damage because your heart stopped for a while._

_No more than the usual, I guess._

Taranee was so relieved to hear both of her friends were alright, her eyes began to leak tears. Hay Lin and Cornelia looked at each other.

"Well?" Cornelia demanded.

Taranee held up her hand and continued her telepathic conversation.

_Please come and get us quickly. Cornelia is hurt, and Hay Lin's powers over air can't keep up forever. _

_Can you send a mental picture of your location? Anything you can remember about your escape route? Practically anything would be helpful, T._

Taranee thought for a moment. _Yes, I think I can send you a map of where we went. Now understand we were running for our lives with a crazy biatch behind us, so my memory might be a little flawed. _

_Just do your best._

_Okay, Will, here goes nothing._

Taranee drew on her photographic memory and tried to mentally draw a map of the cave in relation to the desert. She tried to remember landmarks that would help her leader find their rocky prison. After a few minutes, which seemed like hours, Taranee had done all she felt she could do. She felt exhausted.

_There, Will; that's the best I can do._

She was met with only silence.

_Will?_

_Will?_

_Irma?_

_Halinor?_

Taranee began to panic as nobody answered her telepathic pleas. She was about to try again, when a thunderous BOOM broke into her thoughts.

"What was that?" Hay Lin squealed.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. "I'd say the KOV have found us."

–

_Taranee? Taranee!_

Halinor sighed and opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, she's gone. I can't reestablish the link."

"Please try again," Will said.

After a few minutes, Halinor shook her head. "It's no use. She either can't answer or simply won't."

"I think Taranee would answer if she could," Irma said, concern etched in her beautiful blue eyes.

Will nodded. "I agree. I guess I'd better hurry."

"Um, excuse me," Irma said, taking her friend's arm. "Don't you mean _we'd_ better hurry?"

"Irma, I know you won't like this, but you need to stay here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not going to risk putting you in the line of fire again."

"So, what, I'm supposed to sit on the sidelines for the rest of my life while my friends subject themselves to the butthole of evil? I don't think so."

"Irma, you have to understand. You're a target. I can't concentrate on freeing our friends _and_ keeping you safe at the same time."

Irma's eyes narrowed and she folded her arms. "Now you listen to me, Will Vandom. I don't need a babysitter; I can watch out for myself. Furthermore, they're my friends, too."

"Irma, I can't take losing you again. What if the worst happens and Nerissa gets to you?"

"You can't stop me, Will. I'm going with you."

Will sighed. She didn't have time to argue with her watery friend.

"Alright, but don't you dare get abducted."

Irma grinned and gave her leader a quick salute.

Will just shook her head and opened a fold. Then turning to Irma, Will shouted, "Guardian, unite!"

Instantly, Irma was transformed from awkward teenager, to confident young woman.

"Wish us luck, Halinor," Will said.

"Good luck...to both of you."

Quickly Will leaped through the fold, followed closely by Irma.

–

"What do we do now?" Hay Lin asked. "It took us hours to get here. Even if Will is on her way right now, we're toast."

"Then let's blast our way out of here and close the distance," Cornelia said.

Taranee held her head as the cave shook with thunderous BOOMS. She knew that had to be Gargoyle smashing the barrier Cornelia had created.

Hay Lin was right about one thing...it _would_ take Will several hours to get to the cave. The redhead would never arrive in time to keep her friends from being captured.

"Okay, we do as Cornelia suggested. Blast the rocks and everyone fly off in a different direction. Hopefully, Nerissa can't shoot us all down. Cornelia, you head left, Hay Lin, to the right. I'm going to go straight over head and try to distract them with a little fire."

"That's suicide," Cornelia and Hay Lin said together.

"We don't have time to argue. Hopefully with Corny blasting the rocks at the KOV, that will slow them down. My fire should at least distract them for a moment, and we'll be moving targets. Nerissa won't have a great chance of hitting any of us."

"I still say it sucks," Cornelia said as she stood up and flexed the fingers of right hand. "Okay, everyone, get ready for some sis boom bah."

The Earth Guardian raised her good arm and began to summon her powers.

"Oh, and Taranee?"

"Yes, Cornelia?"

"Don't call me Corny."

–

Irma and Will arrived on Meridian in the Zyroc Desert. The place looked sandy and tranquil, belying the horrors that had taken place just hours ago.

Irma shuddered as memories came flooding back. She hugged herself and hoped her voice wouldn't crack.

"So, shall we fly?" she asked, shakily.

Will narrowed her eyes and stared at her friend. "Memories?"

Irma nodded and immediately dropped her hands to her sides. "I'm fine. We need to get to the others."

"There's still time to go back."

Irma waved a hand. "No, there isn't. Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Taranee need us."

"Irma-"

"No, Will, don't. We don't have time for this. They may already have been captured, for all we know. Let's just forget about Irma's brain damage for a while and focus on the others."

Will didn't like it, but Irma did have a point. So she relented, for the moment, and turned her attention to the most pressing problem. How to get to her friend quickly.

"I think we need to try teletransporting."

Irma's mouth dropped open. "Teletransporting? Are you nuts? Don't you have to know where you're going before you do that?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know, but you have to admit it's the fastest way to get to our friends."

"Well, yeah, but what good do we do them if we end up in a rock or a cactus? Or worse, in the middle of a spitting contest between camels?"

"What choice do we have? Taranee sounded pretty desperate, and I don't like the fact that she just suddenly stopped transmitting. Trust me, Irma...I can do this."

Irma tried not to look skeptical. She did trust Will, but they had only just heard about teletransporting from Yan Lin. The former Guardian had mentioned it to them just a few weeks ago. She had explained the theory, but the Guardians had yet to try it out. They had been planning a practice session, but then Irma had been captured. They had never gotten around to it after that.

"Irma?"

Irma shook herself, and nodded. "Okay, Will. Let's do it."

"Alright," Will breathed, holding the Heart of Candracar tightly in her fist. "Let me do the actual transporting, since I don't want us to get separated. Just hold onto me and we'll...we'll go."

Irma swallowed and took hold of Will's shoulder. "Ready to go, boss."

"Alright then...here goes."

–

A tremendous blast of rock shot out at the gigantic Gargoyle, toppling the huge creature backward. Three Guardians flew from the opening in three different directions. A wall of fire descended rapidly on the surprised Knights of Vengeance, engulfing Nerissa in flames.

The evil witch laughed and erected her ever-present shield just in time. Thus protected, she shot lightning at a rapidly fleeing Guardian. Taranee was hit in the left hip, and plummeted towards the ground. She caught herself before she hit, but the damage was done. Another deadly bolt caught her in the back and sent Taranee spiraling to the unforgiving earth.

This time, she hit hard.

Moaning, she pushed herself up on her hands and knees...only to be pushed right back down. Crimson had leaped onto her back, and was now pinning her to the rocky ground. Taranee struggled to rise, but Crimson's weight was too great.

The big animal leaned his massive head towards Taranee's ear and growled menacingly. He opened his huge jaws to snap her head in two, when he was suddenly blown back by a great gust of wind. Taranee raised her head to see Hay Lin floating above her. Cornelia, right beside the Air Guardian, closed her right fist and a column of earth shot up underneath Taranee. It threw the Fire Guardian high into the air. Taranee squealed in fright, but her wings caught on the way up, lifting her to safety.

Cornelia then proceeded to raise a great wall of earth between Nerissa and her friends. Bolts of lightning pounded the barrier to dust, then struck all three Guardians at the same time. The friends fell to the ground.

The minute they hit the earth, Nerissa was there to strike again...and again. The three friends writhed and screamed in pain as white-hot lightning struck them. The Knights surrounded the Guardians, and laughed evilly as Nerissa's punishment continued.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a lightning bolt struck the evil witch in the back, sending the old hag sprawling to the ground. At the same time, heavy jets of water slammed into Raythor, Frost, and Tracker, hurtling the three Knights through the air.

Miranda, though caught off guard, recovered quickly and shot sticky webbing at the Guardian Leader. Will dodged and sent a bolt of lightning towards the pseudo-spider. With lightning reflexes, Miranda dodged the deadly bolt and charged the two Guardians. Irma sent her spiraling off with another jet of water.

"You take Nerissa, I've got the rest," Irma yelled.

Will looked at Taranee, Hay Lin, and Cornelia. All three were still dazed and moaning on the ground, but at least they were conscious. Believing they would be entering the fray at any moment, Will agreed and gave Irma a thumbs-up.

Nerissa had just pushed herself off the ground and turned to face a charging Will. She shot a bolt at the redhead, which the Guardian dodged. Nerissa floated into the air and began to duel with her counterpart. Lightning flashed through the sky as the two combatants shot bolt after deadly bolt at one another. They danced around each other as each attempted to destroy the other.

–

The huge Gargoyle lumbered after Irma as she flew this way and that. She shot the occasional jet of water into his eyes in an attempt to blind him or hurt him. This didn't seem to be working, so she tried another tactic. Calling forth her powers, she drew groundwater from the earth beneath Gargoyle's feet. When the huge monster was immersed to his waist, she flew towards Cornelia.

"Corny, come one, get up. I need your help."

"Wha-what?"

"Cornelia I need mud, now come on."

Irma dragged the woozy Guardian to her feet and pointed the blond head towards the massive rock monster. Understanding immediately, Cornelia used her powers over earth to create a thick mud. Gargoyle flailed around in the gooey mess, but could not climb out.

"Perfect. That ought to slow him down for a bit. Thanks Corny."

"Don't...call...me...Corny..."

But Irma wasn't paying attention...she had already reentered the battle. She shot jet after jet of water at her enemies...but she forgot about Miranda. While Irma's back was turned, the spider creature webbed dazed Taranee and Hay Lin, pinning them to the ground. Cornelia had flown to join Irma in the sky, oblivious to her friends' plight. She was currently working on taking Gargoyle apart, rock by rock.

Unfortunately, she flew a little too close to the monster's club-like appendage. He smashed that club into the Guardian's left side, crushing elbow and ribs. With a scream and a gasp, Cornelia fell to the ground, and did not move.

Hearing the scream, Irma turned to see the blond Guardian hit the ground. She was about to fly to her friend's aid, when she noticed Taranee and Hay Lin struggling against Miranda's webbing. Torn between which friend to help, Irma heard another scream and watched as Will fell from the sky, a continuous bolt of lightning forcing her downward.

Irma spun in place, her head twisting this way and that. She was alone, her friends hurt and incapacitated. She could feel rage boiling within her, and it suddenly seemed as if her powers took on a life of their own.

Rising in the air, she threw her arms out to her sides and clenched her fists so hard, her fingernails drew blood. She began to spin faster and faster as she focused on the Knights of Vengeance and Nerissa. Gradually, the moisture began to leave their bodies, and the Knights began to feel thirsty and dehydrated. Then they began to panic as their skin dried and became like corn husks. Their eyes began to droop and their very bones began to crackle.

"Nerissa," Raythor shouted, "save your Knights!"

Nerissa descended to the ground and fired a bolt of lightning at the remaining Guardian. As the tendrils licked her tender flesh, Irma cried out and tumbled to the ground. She hit heavily, and watched with mixed satisfaction as the other Knights collapsed to the earth. Only Nerissa remained standing.

"Foolish girl," Nerissa intoned angrily. "Do you really think I need this rabble to defeat you?"

Irma raised her head defiantly. "I think you haven't defeated us yet. So, yes, I think you do need them."

Nerissa laughed scornfully and pointed her staff at Irma. "I should have killed you long ago, Guardian. You continue to be a thorn in my side. Say goodbye to this mortal coil."

"Wait!" Irma said, pushing herself to her feet. "I have a better idea."

Nerissa kept her staff pointed at the young Guardian, but did not shoot deadly lightning. "A better idea than killing you, Guardian? I should think so. But I shall allow you some final words...if you make it brief."

"Oh it'll be brief, alright," Irma said, balling up her fists. "Nerissa, Former Keeper of the Heart of Candracar, I challenge you to one-on-one combat. You, versus me."

Nerissa stood stunned for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. "You dare to challenge me without your precious friends to aid you?"

"Irma, what are you doing?" Hay Lin shouted, still struggling against her bonds.

"Yes, I dare," Irma said, ignoring her best friend's cry. "You and me, bitch. Just you and me."

"Irma, no. Don't do this!" Will shouted as she drug herself painfully off the ground.

Irma ignored Will and continued to stare down the Former Keeper.

"You are serious, aren't you, Guardian..."

"Dead serious, Nerissa. What's your answer?"

Nerissa laughed again, a deep throaty sound. "Name your terms."

"First, you free my friends and you let us go. I'll restore the water to the KOV so everything is fair. In two days, we meet on Candracar and we have it out."

"You would like that wouldn't you, Guardian? The Council and your friends would surely interfere."

"Permission magic, Nerissa. They couldn't interfere. It would just be you and me."

"And the prizes for victory?"

"If I win, you give up the Heart of Meridian, and you submit yourself for judgment to the Council of Candracar. You abide by whatever judgment they pass down, and you never set foot on Earth or Meridian again."

"And if I win?"

"Name it."

"Irma, no!" Taranee shouted.

"Quiet, brat!" Nerissa snarled.

Silence pervaded for a few moments while Nerissa thought carefully.

"My prize shall be the Heart of Candracar."

Irma shook her heard. "The Heart isn't mine to give. You know I couldn't stake that in any way, shape, or form. Pick something else."

"Then I choose you, Guardian. You...and your family. You will be my slaves forever. I shall enjoy gutting your precious father before your eyes."

Irma hesitated and swallowed. Could she truly risk her family? It had been one thing when she was certain Nerissa would choose only her. But to throw in her family? She was gambling with their lives.

"Irma, you can't do this. Think of Chris," Hay Lin whimpered.

Irma closed her eyes and thought of her little brother. Sure, he was a pain, but he certainly didn't deserve what she knew Nerissa would give him.

And her mother...Irma may not have been flesh of her flesh, but she loved her as well as any daughter could. Could she truly subject that kindhearted woman to a slow, agonizing death?

Then her thoughts turned to her father. They had had their differences in the past, even butted heads a time or two, but she loved him more than anything in the world. Being a cop and a good father, he would do everything in his power to protect his family...only his powers would be insignificant compared to Nerissa's.

But what if Irma won the duel? Nerissa would be powerless to ever hurt anyone again. It would save the universe from the greatest evil it had ever known...and she would never have to worry about her family. She could finally sleep at night, knowing her greatest fear was finally vanquished. Wasn't anything worth the opportunity for safety and security?

Irma knew she would never be free of Nerissa if the evil hag won the duel. Nerissa would never grant her favorite toy the freedom of death. She would kill her entire family, no doubt slowly, and force Irma to live with it forever. Worse, Irma knew she would be the cause of any and all suffering they were forced to endure before they died.

Irma barely heard the calls of her friends, begging her not to submit to the duel. But it had been her idea...not Nerissa's. So she opened her eyes and faced her greatest fear.

"Well, Guardian? What is your answer? Do you accept my terms?"

Irma raised her chin defiantly and her eyes became cold as ice. "Done!"

–

**And there it folks...Chapter 14. I hope everyone enjoyed it; and if you didn't, well, that's okay too. Please let me know what y'all think...I always enjoy hearing form you. Take care, and I'll see everybody next time. Thanks for joining me in The Pit. Take care.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome back to the Pit, my friends. Look, I updated quicker this time. I would like to thank my reviewers: XV Dragon (Sane is not something I purport to be, my friend grin); Starwin (Thank you so much for your thoughts...I enjoy reading your reviews because of the insights); Nemrut (Irma was pretty stupid, wasn't she...); Lost Prince (In answer to your question, yes Corny destroyed Gargoyle in WPL. Nerissa put him back together); Nightroad (Wonder why Nerissa accepted such a duel...hmm); Darkyes (Glad to see you're enjoying the story. Thank you so much for your thoughts); Darev (You have great faith in Irma...hope she has as much in herself); Heart of the Demons (Thanks for your comments, I'm glad to be a part of Witch Space); ZestyChicken2 (Hope the family's okay by the end); Wolfgurl211 (I hope Irma wins too...hehe); Cartoonloverfan101 (Good old fashioned duel...could be fun); AJ (Another cute review. Glad to see Irma is happier with me now); Invader Spyder (Welcome back, my friend. I have missed you); Nerd4eva (Pure water form, that would've been fun); DayDreamer9 (Irma is okay...for now, anyway). **

**Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate that you took the time to leave your thoughts.**

**And now, on with the show. Without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 15**

Nerissa strode around her newest lair, a simple abandoned mine on the outskirts of Meridian. Seeing as she had been imprisoned for decades in a cave, the old woman felt somehow at home in the immovable confines of rock and stone.

She prowled like a great cat around the mine, her head whirring with ideas. The Water brat had been foolish to challenge the might of Nerissa; what chance did she possibly have against the greatest sorceress the universe had ever known? What power could she call on that would protect her from the awesome might of the Heart of Meridian? And to set Candracar as the venue...did she think that having her allies present would somehow buoy up her strength? It was madness.

So why had she done it?

Nerissa could think of only one reason...to save her friends. The Guardians had not been faring well in that last battle and perhaps the brat had felt cornered. Perhaps she had felt desperate enough to throw down a ridiculous gauntlet, hoping it would not be retrieved. Yes, that had to be it. A desperate attempt to buy her friends time to recover sufficiently to turn the tide of the battle. She had never expected Nerissa to accept the challenge...not really.

But Nerissa had accepted the challenge, and she had done so almost gleefully. To finally rid herself of the nuisance that had plagued her for so many weeks...it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. For truly what chance did the brat have?

Nerissa strode into a large chamber full of old and broken mining tools, split rocks, and a thick coating of dust on the ground. It was time for her therapy. For the last several days, Nerissa had been unable to vent her frustrations on the real Water Guardian...so she had found a substitute. It was almost like the real thing...except the Astral Drop didn't scream.

"Time for a little modification," Nerissa cooed.

She approached a corner where wooden support beams prevented cave-ins. Shackled to one of the beams was the Water Guardian's Astral Drop, her hands suspended above her head and her toes barely scraping the filthy ground. She looked at her captor with uncomprehending eyes, oblivious to her predicament. No amount of punishment the evil witch inflicted could alter her unflappable demeanor for one obvious reason...Astral Drops felt no pain.

Nerissa stopped in front of the unfortunate Drop and raised her staff. She intoned a few words under her breath and then a beam of emerald green light shot out from the Heart of Meridian. It engulfed the Astral Drop for several seconds then, gradually, dissipated. As the light faded, the Drop stared with new comprehension at her captor.

"Where...where am I? Who are you?"

"I am Nerissa, child, and I have given you life."

"Given me life? What do you mean?"

"Life, child, life. I have made you a living, breathing, Altarmere."

The former Astral Drop struggled against her bonds, straining to understand what was going on.

"Please, can you help me? I'm so cold."

Nerissa smiled evilly and raised her hand.

"Then let me warm things up for you."

The Altarmere screamed as the lightning struck her.

–

"You're crazy and that's all there is to it."

Cornelia was resting in her Elemental Chamber after receiving a beat-down from Gargoyle. Her arm and ribs had healed, but the Earth Guardian still felt weak and tired. Will, Hay Lin, and Taranee had just explained what Irma had done, and Cornelia was livid.

"How could you be so reckless, Irma? To risk your entire family in a fight you can't win! It's just...it's stupid and selfish!"

Irma sat hugging her knees, her chin resting on them. She had listened to Cornelia's berating for half-an-hour now, and she honestly had nothing to say. Truth be told, she agreed with her blond friend. She had been reckless and selfish, and looking back, she had no idea what had possessed her to throw out such a ridiculous challenge. Nerissa was more powerful than her on Irma's best day, and she held a Heart. What chance did Irma truly have of winning?

Unfortunately, there was no going back now. The deal had been struck and permission magic was in place. The Council of Candracar was barred from interfering, as were the other Guardians. Irma would have no help, and she took little comfort from the fact that Nerissa would be alone, as well. After all, the sorceress didn't really need any help. She was a one-woman wrecking crew all by herself.

"Add to that the fact that your parents and Chris don't even know what's about to hit them, and you have a real winner. Way to let the fit hit the shan, Irma."

That was enough. Irma's head snapped up.

"Don't you think I've thought about all of this, Cornelia? I know what I did was reckless and stupid; I know, okay? But what I really need right now is a way to beat Nerissa, not you bawling me out for being an idiot."

"And what could we possibly offer as a strategy, here? Lighting wipes the floor with water. One hit and you'll be down for the count, Irma. Two and you'll be foaming at he mouth. Three and you'll be dead. Dead, dead, DEAD!"

"Cornelia, that's enough," Will said, as Irma's eyes began to fill with tears. "That's no way to talk to a friend."

"What other way is there right now?" Cornelia asked, her hands spread wide. "She did a stupid thing and screwed her entire family in the process."

"She's scared and needs our help right now," Will said. "Yelling at her and insulting her isn't going to help. We have to find a way to fix this."

Cornelia was about to retort, when she suddenly closed her mouth. Will was tight...Irma needed help, not insults. The young Water Guardian was obviously terrified and backed into a corner. What kind of friend would she be if she abandoned the frightened girl in her most desperate time of need?

"You're right, Will," Cornelia said. "I'm sorry I lost control. I'm scared, too; that's all."

"I know," Will said gently, laying a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "We all are. But we have to think now. It's going to take all of us to get out of this."

"But how?" Hay Lin asked. "We all know permission magic is binding; we can't interfere and neither can the Council. What are we going to do?"

It was hard to hear the despair in Hay Lin's voice; she was always the optimistic one. But Taranee knew these were extenuating circumstances, and for the first time, she was up against a problem that seemed to have no solution.

"Okay, let's review what we know about permission magic," Taranee suggested.

"Well, we know it's binding and to go against it means instant death," Cornelia said.

"What if we could somehow trick Nerissa into going against it?" Hay Lin said.

"How?" Will asked.

Hay Lin was silent for a moment, the sudden spark in her eyes gradually disappearing. "I have no idea," she finally admitted.

"Well, what were the terms, again?" Cornelia asked.

Will explained. "No interference from the KOV, the Council of Candracar, or from us, the Guardians. It's Irma versus Nerissa, one-on-one. If Nerissa wins, she gets Irma and her family. If Irma wins, Nerissa gets the boot from the Council and never bothers the universe again."

"So it's like Thunderdome only with consequences affecting the entire universe," Cornelia stated.

Will nodded. "That would about sum it up."

"We have to turn this around on Nerissa somehow," Hay Lin said, pounding her fist into her palm. "We can't let Irma do this alone."

"She won't be alone," Taranee said. "We'll all be there with her."

"But we won't be able to help her...not directly, anyway," Hay Lin despaired.

"We need to meet with the Council," Taranee suggested. "Maybe they can help."

"Yeah, because they've done such a bang-up job so far," Cornelia scoffed.

"Maybe, but Taranee's right. They have to know more about this permission magic stuff than we do," Will said.

"You really think they might be able to help?" Irma asked hopefully.

"I don't know," Will said quietly. "But they certainly can't hurt. Let's go talk to them now."

–

The Irma Altarmere screamed again as the lightning struck once more.

"What have I ever done to you?" she wailed.

Nerissa lowered her hand and stared up into the Altarmere's eyes. "Oh it wasn't you, my dear. You are merely a substitute for the real thing. But I'm afraid I need to vent my frustrations, and so you must suffer."

The witch raised her hand and the torture continued.

–

In the Council Chamber, the Oracle met with his advisors. Althor, Tibor, Yan Lin, and Halinor tuned their ears for every word he might speak.

"We shall begin in a moment," the Oracle said, regarding his friends. "I have asked Luba to summon the Guardians. I believe they should be a part of this."

Tibor inclined his big head, but said nothing. He did not feel the same affections for the Guardians that the rest of the Council seemed to hold. He believed in remaining distant from them as they could need replacing at any instance. For all his years and everything he had witnessed, he could see no way out of this predicament. The Water Guardian had invoked permission magic without even knowing she had done so. As such, she was barred from any assistance during the duel.

Halinor and Yan Lin sat close together, muttering back and forth to one another. Of all the members of the Council, they felt the closest to the girls; Yan Lin being Hay Lin's grandmother, and Halinor having developed a motherly tenderness towards Irma. They both loved the Guardians, and neither one could see a way out of the current situation. It seemed their loved-ones were about to be taken from them.

Althor sat alone, preferring the silence as a companion. He wasn't known for his great mind, but he had a gift for pointing out the obvious. He felt less than adequate as an advisor, and sometimes questioned his very position on the Council. But all those feelings of inadequacy needed to be put aside for the moment. The Guardians were in trouble, and they would need all the help they could get.

The rosy doors opened, and Luba strode into the Council Chamber with all five Guardians in tow. The Caretaker sat near the door and motioned for the Guardians to stand near the middle of the Chamber, near the Oracle. As the girls approached their place, Halinor and Yan Lin fell silent. The Chamber was as quiet as a tomb.

"Thank you for coming," the Oracle smiled. "We shall move directly to the business at hand. Permission magic has been invoked, and the Water Guardian is faced with a duel between herself and Nerissa. As such, we are barred from interfering in any way. We can neither help the Guardian, nor hinder her enemy."

"But there has to be some way around it," Will said desperately. "Irma didn't even know she had invoked permission magic. Doesn't that count for anything?"

The Oracle shook his head. "It does not, Guardian. Permission magic has been invoked...there is no way around that."

"What if we attack Nerissa before tomorrow?" Taranee said. "What if we could take her out before she has a chance to get to this duel?"

"And where will you begin your search for her, Guardian?" Tibor asked. "She could be hiding anywhere. Will you search the entire universe?"

"If we have to," Cornelia said.

"There won't be time for you to do that," Tibor said. "Nerissa is an expert at concealment. With the Heart of Meridian, she could even take on a different guise. She could be right next to you and you wouldn't even know it."

"But we have to do something," Hay Lin wailed. "We can't let Irma do this alone."

"We have been in council for the past several hours," the Oracle said. "We can find no way around this predicament. It would seem the Water Guardian shall duel the Queen of Evil tomorrow."

"So that's it?" Cornelia said, folding her arms. "You're just going to give up? What kind of Council are you?"

"Why you insolent-"

The Oracle held up his hand. "Silence, Tibor," he said gently. "Let the Guardian speak."

Tibor fell silent, but crossed his arms in a display of frustration.

Cornelia continued. "We can't just give up. Sorry, Irma, but you don't have a chance in hell of beating Nerissa...not when she has a Heart. We're all but accepting her death, here."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Irma muttered.

"I'm not questioning your heart, Irma," Cornelia explained. "I'm just trying to be realistic. I've no doubt you'll give that bitch a run for her money, but in the end...I mean the five of us together have trouble with her. None of us would last against her alone."

"Look, I appreciate all you guys are trying to do, but I got myself into this situation. I need to see it through. I'm going to fight Nerissa tomorrow, and I'm going to do everything I can to beat her. If I can win, we'll finally be rid of her forever. None of you can possibly understand how much I need that."

Irma stepped forward then and looked the Oracle in the eye. "Oracle, I need your permission to do something."

The Oracle smiled gently. "I believe I know what you're going to ask. The secrecy you live under is designed to be a protection for you; but in this case it has deserted you. I believe you wish to tell your family who you really are?"

Irma nodded. "They deserve to know what's about to happen and what's been going on for the past months."

"I agree with you, Guardian. And permission is granted."

"Thank you, Oracle," Irma said. She turned then to her friends. "I want to spend what little time I may have left with my family. But I would appreciate it if you would all accompany me home so we can explain this whole Guardian thing."

As one, the girls nodded. "Of course," they chorused.

"I thank you all for trying, but I need to face the facts...Nerissa and I are going to meet and that's final. She's going to get the fight of her life, and I can guarantee I won't go quietly."

Hay Lin stepped forward and hugged her best friend. "And whatever happens, we'll be there...right to the end."

"I know you will, Hay-Hay...I know you will." The two girls began to cry then as the situation finally seemed real. All that was about to happen suddenly seemed like a speeding freight train, unstoppable in its murderous trek.

The other three Guardians gathered around in a circle and joined in a group hug. Soon they were all crying as reality broke upon them like waters breaking a dam. The Council members let the girls cry...for what else could they do?

–

It was 9:00 PM when the Guardians arrived back on earth. In human form, they dried their tear-streaked faces and trekked to Irma's house. No one said a word...there seemed nothing to say. Each girl was lost on her own thoughts.

Hay Lin, ever the optimist, felt completely hopeless for the first time in her life. She was about to lose her best friend...a girl that was more like a sister, really. She couldn't see how Irma could possibly force Nerissa to submit, not when the evil witch had so much power at her command. And if Nerissa won, Hay Lin would never see her sister again. She would be out of their reach forever.

Cornelia stalked along angrily. She believed had she been conscious when the deal had been struck, she would have made a difference. She could have talked Irma out of it. In her mind, Cornelia blamed the other Guardians for not stopping the situation before it spiraled out of control. Irma could almost be forgiven, given the fact that she was out of her mind these days. But still, the blame had to lie with someone, and this time it wasn't with Nerissa. Cornelia sighed...she couldn't blame her friends at a time like this. They needed to pull together. The blond Guardian stuck out her chin and vowed to be strong for Irma.

Taranee wracked her brain. There had to be something they could do. Something they had missed. Something that was waiting to be discovered; but she couldn't think of it. This problem had the brainy girl stumped and she didn't like that feeling at all. She had always been able to reason her way out of anything, and she was not about to be stopped now.

Will kept glancing at Irma. The girl's lower lip was quivering, and tears glistened at the edges of her beautiful eyes. Will thought she knew what Irma was thinking...how would she break the news of her impending death to her family? How would she tell them they were part of the deal, too? Will knew the gravity of the situation had just hit her watery friend, and she longed to comfort her. But Will could think of nothing to say. Truth be told, she felt responsible for all of this. Had she been able to defeat Nerissa in that last battle, Irma would never have felt cornered, and would never have made that awful deal. As Leader of the Guardians, Will felt responsible for every failure...and now there was nothing she could do to save her friend's life.

Irma fought tears. She was determined not to cry in front of her family and friends. She knew she had only one chance to defeat Nerissa, and that was to draw all the moisture out of her body. But that little trick took time and Irma had to be completely still to pull it off. It took so much concentration, that moving around would simply be too distracting. One lightning bolt would likely put an end to the fight before it really began, and Irma decided she would need to find a way to incapacitate the sorceress while she bled her dry. It would be her only chance.

Her thoughts turned to her parents. They would be so disappointed that things had worked out like this, and that their only daughter had gambled with their lives. They would be even more outraged to learn what had truly happened to their daughter weeks ago. If Irma survived the duel, she had no doubt her family would move away from Heatherfield to keep their child safe from monsters like Nerissa. She would be parted from her friends forever. Either way, win or lose, her life was effectively over. Nevertheless, her family deserved to know what was about to happen to them, and Irma refused to keep them from it.

As they approached the Lair household, Irma wasn't really surprised to see police cars outside. It had been over a day since she had been taken by Raythor, and her policeman father wouldn't simply sit by and let his daughter be missing. She wondered what he was truly thinking right now...and she began to tremble.

Hay Lin noticed her friend shivering and put her arm around her shoulders. She could guess what was going in her sister's head, and she didn't envy her one bit. Mrs. Lair was likely to take the news with a mixture of shock and revulsion, but Mr. Lair...he was likely to fly off the handle and be angry. Hay Lin didn't think Irma could handle anyone yelling at her right now.

Finally the friends began to cross the lawn and were stopped by a police officer in Heatherfield blue.

"This is private property, kids. You'll have to-"

The officer stopped in mid-sentence as he recognized Tom Lair's daughter.

"Miss Lair! I can't believe it; you're here. Please come inside. Your parents are worried sick."

"I know the way, Officer," Irma said. "I can take myself inside."

The officer nodded and stood aside.

The five friends crossed the lawn and stood on the front porch. Irma held her breath as she placed her hand on the doorknob. An eternity seemed to pass as she slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Four heads looked up at the sound. Tom Lair's mouth fell open and Anna stood up immediately. The two detectives stared stupidly.

"Oh my gosh...Irma!" Anna ran to her daughter and caught her in a hug. Tom was not far behind his wife as he embraced them both. The parents cried with joy at seeing their daughter alive and well. Feeling awkward, the two detectives excused themselves, closing the door behind them.

For several minutes, the Lair's held each other, all three crying in one another's arms. When at last they broke apart, Anna was the first to speak.

"We were so worried," she said, covering her mouth with her fingers. "We thought we'd lost you."

Irma's eyes teared up even more as she shook her head "I'm right here, mom."

"What happened, baby?" Tom asked. "When we saw the window open we thought you had run away or been kidnapped." His eyes lit on the four friends behind his daughter before holding Irma's. "What happened?"

"Oh daddy," Irma said, sniffling through her tears, "I didn't run away. I would never do that to you and mom."

"Then you were abducted?" Tom asked, his protective nature starting to inflect his voice.

Irma nodded. "Yes, daddy, I was taken."

"Who did it? I'll kill the bastard!"

Irma hung her head as she wracked her brain for the best way to explain. "Mom, dad, I need you both to sit down. I need to explain something to you, and it won't be easy to hear."

"Oh my gosh...he raped you didn't he?!"

"No, mom, I'm fine. Nobody hurt me...in that way. Just please, sit down and let me explain."

The parents nervously took seats on the couch. Irma's friends moved to stand beside her, lending their support in any way they could.

Irma took a deep breath. "First of all, I want you both to know how much I love you. You've always done your best to give me the best of everything, and I will never forget that."

"Irma, you're scaring me," Anna said, her hand moving to hold Tom's.

"I don't want you guys to be scared, but I need to tell you what's really been going on. I can't cover the truth anymore; you deserve to know."

Both parents gazed at their daughter, concern growing in their eyes.

"Mom, dad, I'm one-fifth of a team of girls known as Guardians. We all have power over a specific element...mine is water. I can control it, summon it, shoot it; anything having to do with water, I can do. These girls are my teammates and together we battle people who want to do us harm."

Anna and Tom blinked stupidly...then blinked again. They looked at one another, then back to their daughter.

"Is this a joke?" Tom finally asked. "It's in really poor taste if it is, Irma Lair."

Irma shook her head. "No, dad, it's not a joke. I can prove it if you'll let me."

Mr. Lair folded his arms skeptically and nodded. "Let's see it, then."

Irma looked at Will, who nodded firmly.

"Guardians, unite!"

In a flash of rose-colored light, five young girls became five young women. Tom and Anna dropped their jaws and stared incredulously at the winged beings before them.

"What the hell is this?" Tom demanded, rising slowly from the couch. "What are you?"

"I'm your daughter, dad," Irma said quietly, bowing her head and closing her eyes. "Your daughter who happens to have the power to control water and an obligation to use that power for the good of all."

With that, Irma held up her hand, palm up, and produced a tiny fountain of water. It danced and played in her palm like a sprightly nymph.

Next, Cornelia directed her powers at a budding plant on the coffee table. Immediately, flowers began to sprout and bloom.

"I have power over Earth," she explained.

Hay Lin produced a tiny whirlwind in the palm of her hand. As she spun a finger above it, she couldn't help but grin slightly.

"My power is Air," she said brightly.

"And mine is Fire," Taranee said. She held her hands apart and caused a small fireball to float between them. The flame reflected in her glasses.

Finally, Will spoke up. "My power is called Quintessence. Essentially, it's the power over pure energy."

With that, she spread her thumb and forefinger apart. Within seconds, a tiny sprig of lightning began to dance between her fingers. Irma swallowed involuntarily.

The girls extinguished their creations and all eyes turned to Irma. The Water Guardian looked at the floor once more.

"We use these powers to battle the forces of evil in the universe," she explained quietly. "It's our responsibility to protect all that's good from all that's evil."

Silence...long, pregnant silence. The father had collapsed back onto the couch, dumbstruck. The mother remained motionless, emotionally impassive.

After what seemed several minutes, Irma couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Say something, please."

Tom scrubbed his face with his hand. "What do you want us to say, Irma? Things like this just aren't real, aren't possible, and yet here they are staring me in the face. All your life I've worked to protect you and to keep you safe. But with these powers you hardly need that protection, do you..."

Irma crossed the room in a few strides. She fell to her knees in front of her father and took his strong hands in hers.

"Dad, don't say that. I will never stop needing you. Don't you understand? I'm still your daughter. I'm still a fourteen year-old girl who loves her daddy and needs him now more than ever. I'm still Irma Lair. I may be this kick-ass super being with a smashing new wardrobe, but inside I'm still just a kid. Can you understand that?"

"I don't know, Irma; it's so much to take in. My baby girl seems all grown up before her time. Seeing you like this...it's overwhelming. I can't believe it and, yet, I have to. But I want you to know you'll always be my little girl...no matter what."

The big police sergeant placed his hands on either side of his daughter's face and gently kissed her forehead. Irma closed her eyes and reveled in the attention. How she wished this moment could last forever...and that the last several weeks had never happened. How she wished that things could just go back to normal.

Tom let go of his daughter and she stood up. She looked to her mother, who continued to sit motionless on the couch beside her husband.

"Mom?"

Anna's eyes began to fill with tears, then. "Who did this to you? Who made you into this Guardian?"

"We're watched over by a group of individuals known as the Council of Candracar," Irma explained. "They're led by a man called the Oracle. He's a really powerful guy with no hair. Then there's Althor, a little dwarf-dude. And Tibor who guards the Oracle. Halinor is a former Fire Guardian. Then there's Luba. She's a cat-like woman who guards the Aurameres, the source of our powers. And...and..." Irma hesitated.

"And Yan Lin," Hay Lin finished. "She used to have my job, but then it passed on to me."

"Yan Lin has known this whole time?" Anna asked incredulously.

Irma nodded, looking worriedly at her mother. She didn't seem to be taking this well.

"How could she not have told us?" Anna thundered. "Why would she keep this from us?"

"Secrecy is important for what we do," Will explained. "If our enemies knew who we truly were, they would come after our friends and families. The fewer people who know the truth, the better protected everyone is."

"So you kept this a secret to protect us..." Anna's words were more a statement than a question.

Irma nodded, more worried than ever.

"You said you were going to tell us what's been going on over the last few weeks," Anna said, her face returning to a stony mask.

"Mom, I don't understand. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? What's the matter! My daughter is out there fighting who-knows-what with her friends while we sit at home completely oblivious. Do the other parents know about this?"

Irma shook her head.

"Well that's going to change tonight," Anna said.

"Mom, you can't! We told you, it's for your own prote-"

"Our own protection, yes, I heard you. But do you really think you have the right to do something like this at such a young age? Do you really think that I will stand by and let my daughter put herself in harm's way? You're fourteen years old! You need to be worrying about acne and homework, not giant bugs, or brain-sucking aliens, or whatever-it-is you fight out there."

"Mom, it's our responsibility to-"

"To respect your parents' wishes, young lady. You still live under this roof, and while you do, you will obey your parents. And right now...this parent forbids you to go off on this Guardian bullcrap."

Irma felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She looked at her father, who was staring at his wife.

"Anna, please, you need to calm down a little. Irma's making a great sacrifice to tell us this, and I think we should listen to everything she has to say before we make any judgments."

"I don't need to hear anymore, Tom. She could be hurt or worse. Does this Council help you in any way? Do they participate in these conflicts?"

"Their job is to watch over the events of the universe," Taranee spoke up. "They're silent observers only. They guard our Aurameres, but we're the soldiers."

"In other words, they're no help at all. They sit up in their little world and let children do their fighting. Who decided this was a good idea?"

Hay Lin spoke up. "We don't go into this unprepared. We practice with our powers all the time. We're pretty good at what we do, Mrs. Lair."

"But you don't have any backup," Tom said.

"We are our own backup," Will said. "Apart, we're weaker. Because of this, we always stay together."

"I don't care. I don't care about any of it," Anna said, throwing her hands up and letting them fall back into her lap. "I won't be a party to my daughter getting hurt. I won't!"

"It's not up to you," Irma said sharply. "I was chosen and this is a responsibility I take very seriously. I love what I do, and I love these girls. We serve a great purpose and you have no right to take that from everyone in the world."

"No right?" Anna almost laughed. "I am your mother. I have every right to want to keep you safe. What's so wrong about that?"

"There's nothing wrong with it," Irma said, her eyes narrowing. "But you need to understand that this is my job. No one else can do what I do. If I'm not with them, then these girls are much weaker. Because of that, they run a great risk of getting hurt. Do you want that on your conscience?"

"I want my daughter to be safe."

"I want to be safe, too, mom. But sometimes we have to take risks to protect people. Sometimes...sometimes things don't go according to plan."

Irma stopped then and hugged herself. She turned her back and walked over to the window. Red and blue lights reflected on her face from the police cars still awaiting orders outside.

"You wanted to know what's been happening," Irma said softly, afraid to utter the words. "I need you both to promise me you'll hear me out before you yell at me."

Tom and Anna looked at one another, worry reflected in both pairs of eyes.

"Honey, nothing could make us love you less," Tom said. "You know that, don't you?"

Irma nodded, not really sure she believed that at the moment.

"Then please, tell us what happened," Sergeant Lair said.

Irma swallowed hard and looked at the floor. She closed her eyes as memories she wished would have remained buried flooded to the surface.

"The truth is, somebody hurt me...she hurt me badly. She's hurting me still. Her name is Nerissa. She's a former Guardian who went really bad. She killed one of her teammates, so the Council locked her up in a cave. She escaped and swore vengeance. She wants the Heart of Candracar. To make a long story short, that's a jewel Will carries that grants us a boost to our powers and allows us to transform into Guardians. Without it, we practically have no powers, and would cease to exist as Guardians."

Irma took a deep breath and plunged on.

"With the Heart of Candracar, Nerissa would be practically unstoppable, so it's vital that she never gets it. But she will go to any lengths to capture it. Which is where I come in."

The young Guardian swallowed hard and continued.

"During one of our missions, we were ambushed by Nerissa's goons. They're called the Knights of Vengeance, or the KOV. They separated me from the group, ganged up on me, and managed to capture me. They drug me back to their lair and held me prisoner for nearly a week. They...they..."

Irma held her face in her hand, as she struggled to continue.

"They tortured me. They beat me, they cut me, they whipped me, they burned me. They tried to pull off my wings. And Nerissa...Nerissa electrocuted me with lightning. My affinity with water makes me particularly vulnerable to lightning. I've never felt so much pain. So...much...pain."

"They wanted me to call out to Taranee, to lead my friends into an ambush. Taranee is telepathic, so she would have been able to hear me. I didn't want them to be captured, so I took it. I took the pain and the humiliation...until I couldn't anymore. They broke me; they broke me completely, and I called out for help."

"My friends managed to rescue me, but the damage was already done. My heart stopped, but Will revived me. She took me to Candracar where I underwent something called the Joining. In essence, it healed my injuries and brought me back from death...but I paid a terrible price. See, during the Joining, I had to relive everything that had happened to me. I didn't know I was safe on Candracar; I thought I was still with Nerissa and still being tortured. It sort of messed up my head."

"But that wasn't the worst part. Somehow, Nerissa infiltrated Candracar by impersonating a supposed ally. She cast some kind of curse on me that allowed her to enter my mind. She messed with it for weeks, even being able to cause physical injuries from afar. I could hear voices, feel pain, despair. You name it...if it was bad, I felt it. I became a walking time-bomb, ready to explode at any moment."

"I began to distrust everyone, and I had myself convinced everybody was out to get me. I felt my friends were somehow in on the whole plan; that they had allowed me to be captured in the first place. I felt like they wanted to be rid of me and that I should just accommodate them. I turned suicidal and developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Then we were ambushed again by the KOV, and they managed to down every last one of us. Nerissa threatened to take me again if I didn't give her the Heart of Candracar. The Heart can't be taken by force; it has to be given willingly. Nerissa hoped that by using the right threats, I would ask Will for the Heart and then turn it over to her. But before that could happen, we were rescued by our friends."

"Nerissa's whole elaborate plan played out over weeks. She needed it to in order to break me enough so I would cooperate in the end. She might have won, too, if not for our friends. One of those friends buried Nerissa alive under tons of snow. We thought that old witch was gone forever."

"But now she's back and she wants revenge against me. The KOV are the ones who took me; they took me for Nerissa. They beat me, and Nerissa tried to kill me, but Will saved my life again. During this time, Will and I were separated from Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin. Those three were almost captured but Will and I showed up to save the day. There was a fight, and we were losing, so I challenged Nerissa to a duel in order to stop her from destroying my friends. She accepted, and we set the terms of victory."

Irma hugged herself tighter and silent tears began to roll down her cheeks. "If I win, Nerissa submits to the judgment of the Council and never bothers us again. If I lose, Nerissa gets to take me...and my family, and exact her revenge. There can be no interference from the Guardians, the Council, or the KOV. This duel happens tomorrow on Candracar."

The young woman turned to face her parents. She could see their cheeks were wet with tears. "I don't know what I was thinking. I had no right to gamble with your lives like that. I'm so sorry...can you ever forgive me for keeping the truth from you?"

Too shocked to speak, Tom simply rose from the couch and approached his daughter. He folded her into a rough hug, squeezing her tighter than was necessary. Irma cried into her father's shoulder, hugging him back for all she was worth.

Anna rose, then, and approached the twosome. She threw her arms around them as well.

"Oh, Irma, of course we forgive you," Anna said. "After what you've just told us, and the way I reacted, I can see why you wouldn't want to say anything. The real question is can you forgive me for being so unsupportive?"

Those words just made Irma cry harder.

"We're going to be with you every step of the way," Tom said. "We're going with you to this Candracar and we'll see who hurts my daughter."

Irma pulled away sharply. "Dad, no. I won't be able to concentrate if you and mom are there. Please, I need you to stay here and try to protect yourselves if things go bad. If I lose, then the KOV will come for you. You've got to fight to stay away from them. Please, promise me you'll stay away from Candracar."

"Baby, we don't even know how to get there," Anna said, stroking her daughter's cheek. "If you don't take us with you, what choice will we have?"

Irma snuggled into her mother's hand, relishing the warmth of her skin. "I just need to be able to concentrate on what I'm doing tomorrow. I need to know you'll at least have a chance to escape her if I lose."

"But you won't lose," Tom said reassuringly. "You're a cop's daughter, and you have good instincts. I believe you can, and will, win this duel."

Irma smiled at her father and decided not to burst his bubble by telling him she really had little chance of winning.

Will produced the Heart of Candracar and changed her friends back to their human forms. She approached the threesome and looked up at Tom.

"Mr. Lair, I'm the leader of the Guardians. As such, I feel responsible for what happened to Irma. I promise you, we'll be there to offer her our best support and make sure there's no interference. And if she loses, we'll never stop until we've rescued her from Nerissa. I promise you this."

"We all do," the other girls chorused.

The Lair family felt a sense of overwhelming gratitude. Irma, in particular, was grateful for her friends' support. She felt that even if she did lose, perhaps it wasn't the end of the world. After all, where could Nerissa hide that the Guardians wouldn't find her?

"Guys, I think we should head home and let the Lair's have some peace," Will said.

But before the girls could agree, Anna spoke up. "Wait a moment. You said you were held for a week by this Nerissa. I would certainly have noticed if my daughter were gone for a week."

"Oh," Irma said, "that would be the Astral Drop. The Heart allows us to make exact copies of ourselves. They're not our mental equals, and they don't have powers, but they look like us. They're called Astral Drops. We've used them in the past take our places when we've had to leave for a while. Will sent mine home while I was with Nerissa."

"An Astral Drop?" Tom questioned. "You mean we were fooled by some soulless thing? How did we miss that?"

"Well, why would you be looking for something out of place?" Irma shrugged.

Tom nodded as though satisfied with that answer.

"It seems we have a lot to talk about," Anna said. "Somehow I don't think there will be much sleeping tonight. I have so many questions."

"That's our cue, people," Will said.

Each of the girls nodded and moved to hug Irma before they left. As the door closed behind Hay Lin, Irma's heart sunk a little. Truth was she felt less safe without her friends. She knew she had no realistic chance of winning the duel tomorrow. She could only hope her friends would be able to protect her family from Nerissa and the KOV.

–

**Thanks for reading, kids. I appreciate your time and attention. If you should feel so inclined, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you all and have a wonderful life.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome back, Pitters. I have finally updated with the chapter I know you've been waiting for. Right, enough of my preening.**

**Before we get started, I want to thank all my reviewers: Lost Prince (Yes, you are warm. Read this chapter to find out); Cartoonloverfan101 (Yep, get ready for the action); Crowofdawn (Thank you for your compliments); Nemrut (Let's see which, if any, of your four scenarios is right); Shocklance (Now would I leave that kind of a loophole?); Starwin (Thank you for telling me what worked and what didn't...I always value those kinds of reviews); Nerd4eva (You are not the only one to think of the gun theory. Let's see if it pans out...); Wolfgurl211 (Thank you for your compliments and continued support); Philip Gipson (Bet her parents never saw that coming...); XV-Dragon (What role does the Altarmere have to play...Hmmm....); Darev (I hate Nerissa too); DayDreamer9 (Let's see if your instincts win out again...you have good ones, you know); Darkyse (Thank you for another review. Let's hope this chapter will live upt to your expectations); Nightroad (Liked the author part. Well spotted.); AJ (Still like the way you review. It makes me giggle); Zestychicken2 (Thank you for your kind words...they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside); Mallratrebel (Among the five greatest? Wow, I'm actually speechless; and that doesn't happen often).**

**Thank you all for your kind words and your helpful insights.**

**Now for the warning:**

**WARNING!!! Some violence in this chapter. Not that you don't know that by now, but I have to say it.**

**Now on with the show!**

**Chapter 16**

The next day dawned clear and warm, belying the ice-cold feeling in the pit of Hay Lin's stomach. She had had a dream last night in which she watched her best friend die under Nerissa's torture. Irma had screamed so horribly, and Hay Lin knew she would hear those cries in her head for the rest of her life. Unable to wake, the Asian girl had been forced to witness Irma's brutal demise all night long.

The sweat stood out on Hay Lin's forehead, and it took her some time to realize her grandmother was sitting in a chair near her bedside. The kindly old woman reached out a hand to comfort her granddaughter, but Yan Lin knew her efforts were in vain. She couldn't know of the nightmares that had plagued the young Guardian, but she did know the torment she was experiencing over Irma.

The two girls had grown up together, and Yan Lin knew Irma was more like a sister than a friend to her granddaughter. The young girl's almond eyes held a darkness and a fear the old woman had never seen before, and Yan Lin thought she knew what Hay Lin must be thinking.

The groggy Guardian turned to her grandmother but couldn't bring herself to smile. Instead, tears began to roll down the porcelain cheeks. She threw trembling arms around the old woman's neck and cried into her shoulder.

"Grandma," she cried. "I saw it; I saw what's going to happen to Irma."

Yan Lin patted her granddaughter's back gently and whispered into her ear.

"Shh, child; the future is always unknown to even the most talented of seers."

"But I had a dream, grandma. I saw Nerissa torturing Irma. She...she died, grandma. She died!"

It was hard to argue with an Air Guardian's dreams; Yan Lin knew better than anyone that they were often harbingers of things to come. Only a short time ago, one of Hay Lin's dreams had saved Queen Elyon from a terrible fate at the hands of her power-hungry brother, Phobos. Why should this dream be any different? Nevertheless, Yan Lin had to say something to comfort the trembling teenager.

"Dreams can be misinterpreted, my little one. Perhaps you did not see what you thought you saw."

Hay Lin sniffled. "I saw Irma being tortured by the KOV and by Nerissa. I heard her screams and her pleas for mercy. I saw Nerissa laugh and the look in her eyes. She was enjoying it, grandma. How can that be misinterpreted?"

Yan Lin closed her eyes. She had to admit, it did sound compelling, and seemed difficult to refute on any level.

"I don't know, child, but we must hold onto hope. Irma is resourceful and tough. If there is anyone who can win this battle it is she."

Hay Lin tried to smile and take comfort from her grandmother, but she found it impossible. How could a single Guardian possibly defeat a powerful sorceress who possessed the Heart of Meridian? Hay Lin knew Irma was tough, but this time she believed the water witch had bitten off more than she could chew. She wanted to be angry with her friend for being so reckless, but she knew it was only out of love for her friends that she had made the challenge at all.

"Grandma, we have to find a way to help her."

"I have been with the Council of Candracar most of the night. We cannot find a way to interfere without violating the rules of permission magic. It would seem Irma will have to find a way to defeat Nerissa alone."

"But don't you see, grandma? She doesn't have a chance alone. She can't fight Nerissa by herself."

"And yet she did once fight Nerissa by herself and drove her away from Candracar."

Hay Lin sniffled again and let go of the old woman. Her mind raced as she tried to comprehend what her grandmother had just said. But try as she might, the young Guardian just couldn't think of a time Irma had actually beaten Nerissa.

Yan Lin chuckled a little at Hay Lin's confusion. "Remember that time at the aviary on Candracar? The battle in which you all nearly lost your lives? It was Irma who eventually drove Nerissa off. She fought her and she won."

"That's right, she did!" Hay Lin exclaimed. "Maybe she _does_ have a chance after all."

"We must never give up hope," Yan Lin said. "We must have faith in Irma. It is not only her life on the line, but her family's as well. This will give her strength and heart."

"What time is it?" Hay Lin asked.

"Nearly 8:00. It is time for us to go."

Hay Lin nodded solemnly. She climbed out of her bed and set her feet on the soft carpet.

"I'll hurry and get ready. Do you think the others are already waiting?"

Yan Lin shrugged. "I don't know; I haven't been sitting with them."

Hay Lin giggled, suddenly feeling lighter than she had in days. Her grandmother could always give her strength and make her feel better. The little woman's confidence and calm demeanor were infectious, and Hay Lin could feel a warmth she had not felt in a long time.

With renewed hope, the young Guardian strode to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

–

Irma had not slept at all. She and her parents had stayed up most of the night, talking. They were understandably worried for their only daughter, and try as she might, she couldn't comfort them. And how could she when she could hardly comfort herself?

Her parents had insisted she try to get some sleep two hours ago. Though Irma knew that was going to be impossible, she had, nonetheless, obeyed her parents' wishes and gone up to her bedroom. But instead of going to her bed, she had filled the tub with water and climbed into the bath. It was cold now after two hours time, but Irma didn't care. The water was what comforted her the most lately. It was almost like a drug to her. She didn't feel safe unless she was in water.

She thought it must be around eight o'clock, so Irma decided to get dressed. She climbed out of the tub and pulled the drain. Morosely, she watched her precious water swirl until it completely disappeared. With a sigh, she used her powers to siphon the water off of her body and hair. Now dry, she padded to her bedroom and pulled open her dresser drawers.

She grabbed some clothes and threw them onto her bed. Automatically, she dressed and went to brush her hair and teeth. If someone had asked her what she wore that day, she wouldn't have been able to tell them. Her mind was anywhere but on her physical appearance.

She had really screwed up this time. Cornelia had warned her numerous times that her mouth would get her into trouble someday. Those words had proved to be prophetic as Irma now faced the worst day of her life. Why had she made this challenge? How could she have been so stupid and selfish? It was one thing to put her own life on the line, but what right had she to gamble with Chris and her parents?

Irma looked in the mirror and cursed the young woman staring back at her. Chris was so young with his whole life ahead of him. Now Nerissa would snuff it out. Her mother was gentle and loving. How could she possibly stand up to Frost's fists and Miranda's knives? And her father...strong and proud. Nerissa would reduce him to a pile of quivering jelly before she finished him off.

Irma pounded her fist on the counter and squeezed her eyes against the tears that threatened. Her recklessness frustrated her, and there was nothing she could do to get out of what she had done. Her parents had been supportive, but Irma knew, inside, they had to be disappointed and at least a little angry.

Irma had always been able to count on her friends to be there for her, but they couldn't help her out of this one...not this time. They were bound by the rules of magic, as well as the entire Council of Candracar. There would be no one to help her against her greatest enemy.

She was completely alone.

Irma swallowed hard as the implications began to descend on her. She felt her shoulders stoop as they weighed her down. What chance did she have? Nerissa was powerful without the Heart of Meridian...what would she be _with_ it?

A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

_Irma, are you awake?_

Had she not been expecting something like this, she probably would have jumped right through the mirror. But she had been waiting for Taranee to contact her. Somehow, it seemed like something she would do.

_Yes, I'm awake._

_How...how are you?_

Irma almost laughed. What a question to ask at a time like this. How did Taranee _think_ she was doing? Today was the day her family would die, and it was all because of her, Irma Lair.

But Taranee didn't need a defeatist attitude. So Irma lied.

_I feel good. Ready to trash the Wicked Bitch of the West._

There was a long silence; so much so that Irma thought Taranee might have broken the link. Then...

_Irma, don't lie to me. I don't need telepathy to know you're full of crap._

Irma sighed. She should have known better.

_I'm sorry, Taranee. I just didn't want to burden you._

_You didn't want to burden me? Irma, why, exactly, do you think I'm your friend? You're supposed to burden me. Now tell me...how are you really?_

The tears Irma had been fighting finally won the battle. They rolled silently down her slightly-flushed cheeks.

_I'm scared, Taranee...really, really scared. My family is going to die today, and it's all because of me._

Taranee remained silent as Irma continued.

_Chris didn't deserve this. I don't know that he even knows what's about to happen. What could we tell him? We're going on a trip, Chris. It'll kill you in the worst possible way, but let's try to make it fun. _

_And mom and dad...they've been nothing but the best to me and this is how I repay them. For all the years of grief and frustration I've caused them...They deserve better than this._

_How could I have been so stupid, Taranee? How could I have been so reckless?_

There was more silence for a short time. Then...

_Irma, you made a choice, that's it. You did it to save us. You're not a bad person, you just made a desperate choice. You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe you can win._

_But that's the problem, Taranee, I don't believe I can win._

_Yes, Irma, you can. You have to find a way...find a way for your family and your friends._

Irma wanted to believe her friend, but Nerissa was so powerful. Nonetheless, Taranee was right...she had to find a way to win. She just had to.

Irma changed the subject.

_Is everyone else already waiting?_

_We're all here at Shell Cave. _

_Alright, I'll be there soon. I just need a moment to say...to say goodbye._

_I know. We'll wait as long as it takes._

Irma didn't answer. Instead, she looked long and hard at her reflection. Her eyes showed a defeat that she had never seen before. She had always been happy-go-lucky, the comic relief of the group. Now she was in the most serious situation of her life; worse than detention all alone with Martin could ever be.

She didn't feel happy or lucky right now. She felt terrified and ashamed. But she couldn't let those feelings keep her from fulfilling her responsibility; she had issued the challenge and Nerissa had accepted. Irma might lose the battle, but it wouldn't be because she was a coward. Squaring her shoulders, Irma switched off the bathroom light and took one more longing look at the tub. Then she opened her bedroom door and stalked down the stairs.

–

The tearful goodbye with her parents didn't take as long as Irma thought it would. Her father offered her a few words of encouragement as well as a lasting hug. Her mother tried not to cry as she said goodbye to her daughter, but the tears leaked a little anyway. Nevertheless, Anna remained as strong as she could, knowing Irma would need all her strength.

Tom vowed to take care of his family should Nerissa do her worst. He promised the Lair's wouldn't go down without a fight the sorceress would never forget. Irma smiled a little at the visual of the Heatherfield police department shooting it out with Nerissa. At least they would have a chance should she lose the duel.

Now as the teenager trudged towards Shell Cave, she thought back on the best of times with her family. Her favorite memories, by far, had to be at the beach. Water and sand everywhere, and enough space to stay away from Chris, for the most part.

She choked back a sob as she thought of her little brother, completely oblivious to what was happening...and to what was about to happen to his whole world. It was better this way, that he not know; it just wouldn't do to have another Lair child scared out of his mind. Irma was frightened enough for both of them.

All too soon, Shell Cave loomed in the distance. There was no putting it off any longer...Irma would have to face her enemy now or never.

She had thought about running, but only for a few seconds. Tom Lair's daughter was no coward. She would finish this one way or the other. In just a few minutes, it would all be over, for good or ill.

Hay Lin ran up to her best friend and threw her arms around the girl's neck. She held on tightly, as if squeezing her sister could somehow shield her from what was about to come. Irma returned the hug almost hungrily. She needed Hay Lin more than she had ever needed anyone, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. This girl, although somewhat naive to the ways of the world, was Irma's pillar of strength.

Whether she knew it or not, Hay Lin was Irma's main reason for wanting to live these past few weeks. In her darkest moments, Irma had clung to their friendship like a water buoy, and it was this friendship that had caused the young Water Guardian to rethink her darkest, suicidal thoughts.

During her time with Nerissa, when the pain had been the most severe, Hay Lin had come to her and eased her terrifying burdens. Hay Lin had fought to get to her even though she knew what it would cost her own body and mind. Even when Irma had tried her hardest to drive her best friend away, Hay Lin refused to give up. She put herself in harm's way to bring her friend back from the darkest abyss.

And she had done it of her own free will; it had been her choice to face the demons with a severely damaged girl. Hay Lin had stood next to her and helped to fight the devils that plagued her mind; helped to ward off the darkness that invaded her thoughts; helped to destroy the blackness that held her bound.

It was this strength that Irma needed now.

"It's going to be okay, Irma," Hay Lin was saying. "You can do this...I know you can."

Irma wished she had Hay Lin's confidence. Nevertheless, she didn't want to burst her friend's bubble.

"I know, she said. "I have to. There's no other choice."

Hay Lin let go of Irma's neck and smiled. "Glad to see you're not despairing. I've been really worried about you."

Irma grinned. "What for? I'm the same Irma I've always been."

Hay Lin looked deep into Irma's blue eyes. "No you're not, but someday you will be."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been through a lot lately. Those kinds of experiences have a way of changing a person. Someday you'll be back to your normal, smart-mouth self...but for now, I can still see the darkness."

Irma broke eye contact and looked away. She felt as if she had been slapped.

But she also knew Hay Lin was right. She _had_ changed, and not for the better. Perhaps it was obvious to her closest friends, but Irma had hope she could fool the rest of the world.

"You're right...I have changed, Hay Lin. But I'm fighting to find myself again...and someday I will."

Hay Lin smiled. "I know."

She put her arm around her best friend's shoulders and led her to the mouth of the cave. The other girls were waiting just inside. They all smiled when Irma and Hay Lin walked in, but Irma thought the smiles seemed a little forced. Nevertheless, she returned them.

"Ready for this?" Will asked.

Irma let out a breath. "As ready as I'll ever be, Red."

"Listen, Irma, we're not going to let Nerissa near your family. If things go south..."

"Let's not even think about that, Will. I'm going to kick Nerissa's vanilla booty six ways from Sunday."

Will grinned at her friend's confidence...even if it was all just for show.

"Let's get this over with, then," Cornelia said. "Time to show that hag who's boss."

Will nodded and pulled the Heart of Candracar out of her shirt.

"Guardians, unite!"

A flash of rosy light, and five young women appeared where five young girls had stood. Without saying a word, Will created a fold to Candracar.

Irma swallowed hard and strode towards the shimmering tear. With a glance back at her chums, she gave a thumbs-up and stepped through.

–

Nerissa and the Knights of Vengeance were waiting in the fortress when the Guardians stepped through the fold. The Council of Candracar surrounded the Chamber as well.

Irma's heart sank. She had been hoping to commune with her Elemental Chamber for a few minutes. Now it would seem she would have to get right to business.

The Oracle stepped to the middle of the Chamber.

"All parties have arrived. Permission Magic is in effect and cannot be violated until there is a victor. The terms agreed upon are thus: There shall be a battle until one party surrenders or is otherwise incapacitated. Should Nerissa prevail, The Water Guardian and her family are to be turned over to her. Should the Water Guardian prevail, Nerissa is to be hereby banished from Meridian, Earth, and Candracar, never to set foot in these locations again."

"There can be no interference from the Guardians, the Knights of Vengeance, or the Council of Candracar. These are the terms."

Luba moved to stand behind Irma. "Keep your guard up, and keep moving. Hold nothing back, and show no mercy."

Irma nodded, never taking her eyes from a sneering Nerissa.

"If the two combatants are prepared, we should begin," the Oracle said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Nerissa laughed and stepped forward as the Oracle stepped back. Irma moved to the middle of the Chamber and stood opposite her foe.

"Kick her ass, Irma!" Cornelia shouted.

"Begin!" the Oracle thundered.

Nerissa immediately shot a bolt of deadly lightning towards Irma, but the Guardian had been expecting it. She rolled away and came up on one knee, her right arm outstretched in a firing position. A heavy jet of water shot from her fingers, knocking Nerissa to the floor.

Irma wasted no time. She rushed the evil hag and leaped upon her. She poured water directly into Nerissa's mouth, trying to drown the sorceress. But Nerissa was too quick, and she cracked Irma in the jaw with her staff. The young Guardian was knocked to the floor.

Sputtering and coughing, Nerissa stood and took aim at the stunned girl. She released more lightning, but Irma rolled instinctively, avoiding the deadly bolts. She came up and fired again, but this time Nerissa dodged.

Irma, however, had an idea.

She fired with her right hand and Nerissa dodged to the right to avoid the jet-stream. Irma immediately followed up with her left hand and caught the dodging sorceress square in the chest. Surging to her feet, the Water Witch now poured on the water with both hands, slowly forcing Nerissa into a wall. Once pinned, Irma clenched her right fist and began to draw the moisture out of the old woman.

Nerissa screamed in pain and anger. But she was far from beaten.

The old hag shot a jet of lightning along Irma's stream of water. Unable to pick it up in time, Irma was struck in the stomach. With a cry, she doubled over in pain, her concentration and powers momentarily broken. Another bolt followed the first. Irma tried to dodge, but was caught in the shoulder. The force of the blow whirled her around and her unprotected back faced the sorceress.

Nerissa laughed then, and let loose with all her powers. Irma was thrown across the room, hitting the far wall with a sickening crack. She moaned in pain.

Nerissa moved quickly across the Chamber and delivered a swift kick to Irma's ribs. The force of the blow rolled the young Guardian onto her back. Nerissa stomped viciously on the girl's unprotected ribs and was rewarded with a cry of pain and the sound of cracking.

The evil woman then knelt on Irma's chest and began to beat her about the face with her staff. Irma raised her arms to try to protect herself. Nerissa was growling and shouting fanatically, but most of her blows were absorbed by her enemy's arms.

Desperation began to take hold of Irma's heart, and she knew she had to do something drastic or risk having her arms broken. She fought through the pain and managed to wedge her leg in between herself and Nerissa. She pushed with all her might. The hag flew off and landed hard on her back, her head hitting the floor.

Dazed and stunned, Nerissa staggered to her feet and moved woozily to the far wall. She leaned on it for support and gazed at her foe. Irma was just getting to her feet, her left hand on a wall for support. Her right arm was holding the left side of her ribs, and her eyes shone with pain.

With a growl, Nerissa sent a bolt of lightning in the Guardian's direction. It impacted the wall just to the left of Irma's head. The teenager answered with a jet of water that missed her enemy by inches. Nerissa, still woozy, erected a shield to protect herself until she could recover.

With a strangled cry, Irma began to draw the moisture out of the witch. She knew it was her only chance to win the duel. Nerissa growled in frustration and shot several bolts of lighting. Irma fell to the floor to avoid the deadly tendrils.

Big mistake, for Nerissa had been expecting her prey to duck.

Before Irma could even blink, fingers of lighting traveled towards her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the tendrils sped towards the prone teenager. In no position to dodge, Irma could only watch in horror as the heavy bolts closed the distance.

Then her world was shattered by white-hot pain.

Irma screamed as the deadly bolts licked at her skin. She writhed in agony as Nerissa dropped her shield. The evil witch concentrated, and more bolts struck the writhing Guardian.

Hay Lin screamed Irma's name and ran to help her friend. She was stopped by Luba.

"No, Guardian, you must not interfere. If you break the bounds of Permission Magic, your friend will be killed instantly."

"But we have to do something," Hay Lin screamed, fighting the cat's powerful grip.

Luba was silent for a moment. "There is nothing we can do to help your friend. You should not have to see her suffer. Come with me, now."

Hay Lin stopped fighting and looked at the big cat. Irma screamed as more bolts struck her in the back.

"You and the rest of the Guardians must come with me, quickly." Luba's gaze pierced Hay Lin's eyes, and something about that gaze made Hay Lin want to obey.

_Taranee, we all have to go with Luba, now!_

The Fire Guardian wasted no time in grabbing her friends' elbows. The girls raced towards Luba's rapidly disappearing form.

–

_This is it...I'm going to die and my family with me. I can't take anymore._

_Nerissa is too powerful and I can't incapacitate her long enough to hurt her. _

Thoughts of defeat swelled through Irma's mind, as bolt after deadly bolt struck her body. She knew Nerissa was capable of pouring more into those tendrils...she was merely playing with her prey as a spider plays with a beetle. She was enjoying hurting her foe.

Through her haze of pain, she saw her friends race from the Chamber.

_Guess they can't stand to see me die. _

Irma felt abandoned and totally alone now. Her friends had vowed to stay with her no matter what. Why would they now break that promise?

The onslaught suddenly ceased, and Irma could smell her burning flesh. She wondered, vaguely, why Nerissa had stopped. Perhaps she was going to try to force her to surrender.

_She has another think coming if she thinks I'm going to give up. I might lose, but it won't be because I quit._

Irma felt herself being forced to her knees, a hand hauling her up by the hair. With a groan, she weakly tried to remove that hand, but her efforts were in vain. She felt a hand slap her across the mouth.

"Surrender, Guardian. It is over for you. Save yourself for my minions. They want to have their fun with you before you expire."

Irma tried to answer, but no words came out. She wanted to defy the sorceress, to spit some witty remark at her enemy to show she was unbowed. But though she tried to force herself, her body simply would not cooperate.

"Surrender now!"

Irma did the only thing she could manage to do...she gathered everything she could and spit in her enemy's face.

She felt herself slapped again, harder this time. Then her jaw was punched hard and Irma tasted blood. A hand closed around her throat and dragged her to her feet. She was lifted off the ground a few inches. She closed her hands around Nerissa's wrist in a feeble attempt to release that death-grip. Irma gagged and sputtered, her feet kicking madly in the air.

Then Nerissa threw her enemy to the ground and kicked her in the ribs again. Irma cried out and rolled onto her stomach to protect her ribs. Nerissa drove her staff into the small of her foe's back, laughing derisively.

Irma felt darkness descending.

–

The Guardians rushed headlong behind Luba. The big cat was faster than they were and by the time they reached the Chamber of the Aurameres, all four girls were out of breath. Luba, however, wasn't even breathing hard.

The cat immediately approached the glowing balls of light and spread her arms wide apart.

"Each of you, place your hands on your own Auramere. Do it quickly."

The Guardians approached their individual Aurameres and tentatively placed their hands on each glowing ball of light.

"You must not lose contact with you Aurameres," Luba said. Then she began to intone words the girls didn't understand. The Aurameres began to glow brighter and to shake uncontrollably. The Guardians fought to maintain their hold.

A high-pitched shriek suddenly filled the Chamber, and Hay Lin had to fight not to clap her hands over her ears.

Just as suddenly as it began, the shriek ceased and the Aurameres stopped shaking.

"Let go now!" Luba shouted.

The girls relinquished their hold and watched as the four balls of light sped towards the only one unoccupied by a Guardian. The glowing blue ball quickly absorbed the other four and grew in size.

Luba continued to intone strange words, her voice growing louder and louder. Suddenly, she shouted a final word and all five women were thrown to the floor. The giant Auramere shot form the Chamber and quickly disappeared from view.

Luba staggered to her feet and reached out a large paw to pull Cornelia up.

"What just happened?" the blond Guardian asked.

"You gave up your powers so they could be absorbed by a single Guardian. In this case, Irma."

"You didn't tell us any of this," Will said crossly.

"I could not; else you would have been knowingly interfering in the battle that now rages outside this Chamber."

"So Irma is getting all our powers now?" Taranee asked, adjusting her skewed glasses.

Luba nodded.

"That means she might still have a chance to beat Nerissa!" Hay Lin enthused. "Luba, you're a genius!"

"There's something I don't understand," Taranee said pensively. "We're all barred from interfering; the Guardians, the Council, and the KOV. How are you allowed to do this?"

Luba raised her chin. "I am no longer a member of the Council of Candracar. I was banished from the Council some days ago. As such, Permission Magic does not apply to me, in this case."

"But we interfered," Taranee insisted. "We gave up our powers so Irma would have a fighting chance. How is that not a violation of Permission Magic?"

"You did not _knowingly_ interfere, Guardian. I gave you an instruction and you followed it without knowing what would happen."

"Now _that's_ reaching," Will said, crossing her arms. "We're gambling with Irma's life, here. How did you know this would work?"

"I am not a cubling," Luba replied. "Nor am I new to Permission Magic."

"So what happens now?" Cornelia asked.

"Now we hope your friend wins the battle," Luba said. "If she does not, your powers will be forfeit forever."

"_What!?"_

"It is a drawback, but I did not believe we had any choice. The Water Guardian was moments from defeat."

"Oh this just gets better and better," Will sighed.

"Hey, if it helps Irma, then I'm all for it," Hay Lin said.

"What happens to the Heart if Irma loses?" Cornelia asked.

Luba was silent for a moment. She looked straight into Will's eyes. "The Heart of Candracar will be destroyed."

Will gaped at the Caretaker. She couldn't find any words, so she simply stared wildly.

"Guys, we have to get back in there," Hay Lin said. "We can't leave Irma all alone like this.

Taranee used two fingers to close Will's mouth and nodded. "Yeah, we should go."

Cornelia pumped her fists. "Yes. Now Irma has a chance."

Luba nodded and led the way back towards the battle.

–

Irma groaned as she was flipped onto her back by the toe of her enemy. Her ribs were broken, her back was nearly broken, and her badly burned flesh was smoking from the lightning. An acrid smell assaulted her nostrils.

Nerissa placed her foot heavily in the center of Irma's chest, pinning her to the floor.

"Surrender, Guardian. You have lost and you're too injured to continue this farce. Surrender, and I may let your family live."

Even through her haze, Irma was not dumb enough to fall for that one.

"Never," she moaned.

Nerissa sneered and thrust her staff into the girl's unprotected stomach. Irma cried out in pain.

"I will ask you again, Guardian. Will you surrender to a superior foe?"

"You'll have t-to kill me first," Irma answered thickly. She coughed then and spat up blood.

"Then die you shall."

Nerissa pulled her hand back and prepared to end Irma's life.

All of a sudden, a bright, blue light filled the Chamber. Taken aback, Nerissa stepped back and raised her staff. The light quickly disappeared into Irma's chest. The young Guardian was picked up off the floor as a blinding blue glow emanated from her body. She screamed as raw energy filled her entire being.

Then the light dissipated, and Irma found herself standing on her feet. She felt raw power emanating from every pore.

Nerissa recovered quickly. "How is this possible? What have you done?"

Instinctively, Irma knew she had acquired all the Guardians' powers. She shot a bolt of lightning at her enemy. Nerissa was unprepared for the attack, and took the bolt in the chest. She was knocked back, but remained on her feet. Again and again, Irma peppered her foe with the deadly tendrils. But they just weren't working to her satisfaction.

Using the powers of Earth, Irma caused a section of the floor to buckle beneath Nerissa's feet. The sorceress stumbled and fell. Irma then caused the same section of floor to roll up on the hag's legs, pinning her in place.

Nerissa's eyes showed something they had not shown since Irma had first met her...they showed fear.

Irma strode towards her downed foe as Nerissa struggled to free her pinned legs.

The other Guardians came rushing back into the Chamber the, accompanied by Luba. Irma barely noticed their return.

"For all the times you made me suffer," Irma said. Then she soaked her foe with gallons of water. Nerissa's eyes widened.

"For all the times you humiliated me," she continued. She covered the sorceress with deadly lightning. Nerissa howled in pain.

"For everything you took from me." Irma clenched her fist and used the power of fire to heat her enemy's blood. Nerissa screamed as her life-water began to boil.

"For what you did to my friends," Irma shouted. She clenched her other fist and began to draw the moisture from Nerissa's body.

In desperation, Nerissa turned to the last avenue of attack...Irma's mind. She began to assault it with images of her past torture, of her friends' betrayal on Candracar, of what she would do to her when she was once again a prisoner of evil.

Irma grabbed her head and staggered away. Paralyzed with terror, she fell to the floor and curled into a fetal position.

"Stop it," she begged. "Make it stop, please."

Nerissa, too injured to gloat, set about attempting to free herself again. She continued to assault Irma's mind with terror, showing her pictures of her father being flayed alive, of her mother wilting under Frost's most heinous assaults, of Chris screaming for mercy.

Irma screamed as the images began to come to life. She felt the lash upon her back, the knives skinning her alive, the horrible lightning burning her flesh. She knew she was back in Nerissa's clutches and that her friends had failed to protect her family. The visions of boiling Nerissa's blood had been nothing more than a sick joke played by the evil hag. She had lost the duel...she was sure of it.

Suddenly, the images began to dissipate, slowly at first, then more rapidly. Mental barriers began to block the terror and filter the pain. She was still on Candracar, and Nerissa was still pinned to the floor of the Chamber. Irma suddenly knew that Taranee's telepathic powers had saved her.

With nothing to stop her now, Irma rose to her feet and limped to her foe.

"Nice try," Irma sneered. "But you can't hurt me anymore."

The young Guardian stretched forth her hand and began to draw the air from Nerissa's lungs. The old sorceress sputtered and coughed, her eyes wide with terror.

"Surrender, Nerissa, and I'll let you live!"

"I surrender," Nerissa coughed. "I surrender."

Her face screwed with rage, Irma clenched her fist and twisted her wrist. The air continued to escape Nerissa's lungs and her blood began to boil anew.

"Stop, Guardian," Nerissa begged. "I surrendered. You said you would let me live."

Irma leaned close to Nerissa's ear.

"I lied," she whispered.

With that, Nerissa's eyes bulged out of her head as she suffocated. Her internal temperature rose at an alarming rate, and the water of her body began to escape.

Within seconds, the evil sorceress lay dead on the floor.

–

**Wow, what a ride that was. I enjoyed this chapter in a sick kind of way...what does that say about me? Hmmm...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think, should you feel so inclined.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone. Welcome back. As always, I want to thank all of my reviewers: XV-Dragon (We'll have to wait and see about the Council, but you can bet, they'll have something to say); Wolfgurl211 (Thank you for reading, and reviewing. You've been very stalwart); Laserleg (Thank you for being honest in how you feel. We can all learn something from you. Thank you also for your PM); Nemrut (You were close, weren't you...); Nightroad (It's not over quite yet. Thank you for another insightful review); Darev (Thank you for another outstanding review; they always make me think); Mecha Tails V6 (Irma needed a little help, but she won, and that's what counts); Cartoonloverfan101 (Nerissa's dead...what happens next); ThePink1 (Interesting that Hay Lin should react that way...hmmm); Philip Gipson (Is the Lair family safe? Don't know yet...); Shocklance (Always the Council...let's see what happens when they get involved); Lost Prince (Liked your dissertation on darkness...thanks for that); Mangafreak326 (I felt satisfied too); Nerd4eva (I think we're both just sickos...not that there's anything wrong with that); toolazytomakeanaccount (I like your sig! As for the misery being over? Guess we'll see); DayDreamer9 (I like the way you're not too sure about Nerissa being dead. Hehe...); Starwin (Another fantastic review. You have such helpful words, my friend. Thank you for your compliments); Zestychicken2 (Hehe...stop apologizing. I'm just happy you're reading at all. Thank you for reviewing. I like Luba too).**

**Thank you all for reading from the bottom of my heart. You all have such wonderful, honest, and helpful things to say. It makes me want to keep writing.**

**Now that we've acknowledged all the wonderful people, may I please present:**

**Chapter 17**

Raythor watched the battle unfold, confident in Nerissa's abilities to destroy the Guardian. In a matter of minutes, the fight would be over and he and the rest of the Knights of Vengeance would have some new toys to play with. A single Guardian against the might of the Heart of Meridian? What chance did the upstart girl have?

So why did Raythor have such a feeling of foreboding?

He watched his mistress fling the water witch against the fortress wall; watched the swift kicks to her ribs. He saw the Guardian's feeble attempts to fight back, and to counterattack. The sorceress was ready for every challenge, every move. Raythor knew when Nerissa was toying with her prey, and his lip curled into an appreciative sneer. Nerissa was truly the perfect hunter, mixing just the right amount of pleasure and business.

So why did he feel a sense of dread?

Something wasn't right...he could feel it in his bones. His years as a palace guard had honed his instincts to razor sharpness; and he had learned to trust those instincts implicitly. Now those gut-feelings were screaming at him to do something, to stop the carnage he somehow knew was coming.

But what could the Guardian possibly do to his mistress?

Nerissa was far more powerful than the five Guardians put together, much less one on her own. Nerissa had the Heart of Meridian; the Guardian had the pathetic power of Water. Nerissa was used to fighting her battles alone, whereas the water witch relied on her friends for support and strength. In the end, the numbers said Nerissa would be easily victorious.

So why did Raythor fear the worst was about to happen?

All of a sudden, four Guardians left the Chamber, along with the Caretaker. Raythor frowned and nudged Frost.

"Something's up...look."

Frost reluctantly turned his sneering attention to where Raythor pointed. He watched the five women leave the Chamber...and shrugged.

"Guess they can't take watching Nerissa beat-down their friend. Just goes to show you where their loyalties really lie."

Raythor's frown deepened. His instincts told him something was going on, but he was barred from interfering. He wanted nothing more than to destroy the Guardians while Nerissa took care of business, but he couldn't take the chance. What if the powers-that-be construed that as interference? Nerissa would be destroyed if that happened. So the former palace guard crossed his arms and contented himself with frowning deeply. He still didn't like it, but what could he do?

Nerissa kicked the Guardian witch and sent her sprawling to the middle of the Chamber. As the evil sorceress stalked toward her enemy, the girl struggled in vain to rise. Nerissa laughed derisively and thrust her staff into the small of the Guardian's back. She reveled in the girl's cry of pain, and kicked her in the ribs. The blow knocked the teenager onto her back. With relish, Nerissa placed her foot securely on the girl's chest, and placed her staff at the child's throat.

"Surrender, Guardian. You have lost and you're too injured to continue this farce. Surrender, and I may let your family live."

Raythor, though pleased with the ploy, knew not even a child was stupid enough to fall for that one.

"Never," the Guardian moaned.

Nerissa removed the staff from the girl's throat and thrust it heavily into her stomach. A shiver ran through Raythor at the Guardian's cry of pain.

"I will ask you again, Guardian. Will you surrender to a superior foe?"

"You'll have t-to kill me first," the Guardian replied, spitting blood onto the polished floor.

"Then die you shall," Nerissa said softly, raising her hand.

Raythor was about to shout to his mistress to wait, when the most peculiar thing happened. A bright blue light filled the Chamber and disappeared into the fallen Guardian's chest. She screamed...but it was not a scream of pain...it was one of power.

The water witch rose to her feet then, and began to pepper Raythor's mistress with bolts of lightning. His jaw dropped open. How was it possible? What had happened?

The floor suddenly buckled and pinned Nerissa to the ground. The powers of Earth, Water, and Quintessence? What was going on?

The Guardian was speaking, but Raythor heard none of the words. His attention had turned to the five women who had suddenly re-entered the Chamber. They had done something, and he knew it. He clenched his fists and was about to protest when something happened that Raythor had not thought possible.

His mistress surrendered...surrendered to a teenager.

Then to his horror, his mistress suddenly screamed with pain and lay unmoving on the floor.

"NO!!" Raythor shouted, turning immediately to the Oracle.

"What did you do? What did _they_ do?"

The Oracle inclined his head and stared serenely at the the furious Knight.

"We did nothing. You know the rules of permission magic as well as I."

"You found a way around the rules. What did you do?"

"Had we broken the rules of permission magic, the Guardian would be dead," the Oracle said matter-of-factly. "Therefore, one must conclude, we did not violate the rules."

Raythor clenched his fists, turned, and charged the murderous Guardian. He drew his sword, and bellowed his war cry. The rest of the Knights followed their leader, each drawing a weapon and charging.

The Guardian grinned evilly and cut them all down with chain lightning. The tendrils jumped from one Knight to the next, cooking their skin and inflicting severe pain. The evil creatures cried out and fell to the floor.

The powerful young woman laughed shrilly and poured on the lightning, reveling in the screams of her victims.

–

Hay Lin watched as her best friend defeated the greatest foe any of them had ever known. Nerissa had surrendered, and Hay Lin knew she and her friends were now free forever. She had just turned to hug Will, when she heard Nerissa suddenly beg for her life.

"Stop, Guardian. I surrendered. You said you would let me live."

Hay Lin watched as her sister leaned close to her enemy's ear. Using the power of the air to make even the quietest noise sound crystal clear, the young Guardian was shocked by what Irma whispered.

"I lied."

Her face a mask of horror, Hay Lin started forward to prevent her dear friend from making the biggest mistake of her life. Will, misinterpreting the Air Guardian's intentions, grabbed her and held her back.

"We can't interfere yet. It's not over."

"She's gonna kill her, Will," Hay Lin exclaimed, scrambling to get free. "Irma's gonna kill her!"

Then it was over. The evil sorceress lay unmoving on the floor.

Irma's face was screwed into something that could only be described as barely-contained rage. Hay Lin, seeing that expression, froze in Will's arms. She had never seen anything like that look on her friend's face. It was murderous...and frightening.

Then the Knights of Vengeance charged, their weapons gleaming in the glorious light of the Chamber. Instinctively, Hay Lin spread her hands to knock them back with a burst of air. But nothing happened...she had forgotten, she had no powers.

But Irma hardly needed her help.

Hay Lin watched lightning cut down her enemies, and watched them writhe in agony on the floor. She saw the deadly tendrils continue their murderous assault and heard Irma's laugh of triumph. The smallest Guardian knew she had to do something, but she couldn't get free of Will's hold.

So, she did something drastic.

Screwing up her courage, she thrust her elbow back and up. She heard Will cry out as that elbow connected squarely with her leader's jaw.

Hay Lin was free.

The young air witch charged her friend, and grabbed her from behind. She pinned Irma's arms to her sides, and shouted for her to stop the assault.

With the strength of five Guardians, Irma easily broke her friend's grip and turned. Her face a mask of rage. Murder on her mind, Irma thrust the heel of her hand into Hay Lin's chest. The smallest Guardian crumpled backward, her expression one of shock and horror.

Irma raised her hand.

"Irma stop," Hay Lin cried. "I'm your friend."

Irma cocked her head then, and lowered her hand. "My...friend?"

Suddenly she was tackled by three Guardians. She landed on the floor with a loud "oof." She struggled to free herself.

"Stop, Irma. We won't let you hurt anyone else."

Irma looked at Will, and suddenly understood. She stopped struggling and let herself go limp.

The Knights of Vengeance picked their battered bodies off the floor, and stood looking in shock at the surreal scene in front of them. Only Raythor seemed to have the power to act.

He charged forward, his sword raised above his head. Irma saw the blade dropping towards her head, but knew she would never free her hands in time to stop it. Her eyes widened as the deadly blade came closer, with nothing to impede its progress.

Inches away from the Guardian's beautiful face, the sword suddenly bounced back. It took only moments for the palace guard to recover, and he began to beat on the barrier that stood between him and his intended victim. But try as he might, the enraged man was unable to break through.

Then Luba was there, slashing at the attacker with her claws. The former guard managed to raise his blade and ward off the blow just in time. The combatants exchanged a few furious blows, but neither managed to hurt the other. Then a barrier raised itself between Luba and Raythor, while another encircled the other recovering Knights.

"No," the Oracle intoned loudly. "There shall be no more bloodshed here today."

Luba, breathing hard, reluctantly lowered her clawed hands, but remained ready for any treachery. Raythor dropped his sword and sank to the floor. He placed his head in his hands.

The Five Guardians rose from the floor and faced the Oracle.

Irma swallowed. "Thank you," she said hoarsely.

The Oracle barely acknowledged the young Guardian. Instead he addressed the Knights of Vengeance.

"You will take your fallen leader and leave this place. Though I have not the power to banish you from this or any other realm, I would submit that without Nerissa you are nothing. Do not trouble the Guardians or this Council ever again."

Raythor growled and pointed at Luba. "She did something and so did the other Guardians. Somehow the Water Guardian was given all the others' powers. How did you do it, bitch? The conditions were no interference from the Council or the Guardians."

Luba bared her teeth. "I owe you nothing, worm. You are naught but a pathetic pawn; a plaything for Nerissa that she would have discarded the moment it was convenient to do so."

"She killed my mistress," Raythor screamed as he crawled to his fallen leader. He knelt there beside Nerissa and pointed at Irma. "She killed the woman I loved."

"And what did you do to her?" Halinor said loudly. "You nearly murdered her! You tortured her to death, and only the efforts of her friends saved her life. You stood by and let Nerissa torture and rape her mind. And what did you do to stop it? Nothing!"

"She's the enemy," Raythor snarled.

"She's a child," Halinor replied, her voice shaking with rage.

"And that _child_ just murdered a human being," Raythor snapped.

"She was no human being," Cornelia said, clenching her fists. "She was a monster and she got what she deserved."

Raythor pointed an accusing finger at Irma. "She had surrendered. She was defenseless...and you _murdered her_!"

Irma swallowed and said nothing. Taranee moved to stand in front of her friend.

"Now hold on just a minute..." she began, but was cut off by the Oracle.

"Enough!" the bald man said loudly. "Leave this place immediately."

"Wait," Hay Lin said, moving to stand near Raythor. "I had a dream and in it I saw Nerissa torture and kill Irma. I want to make sure she's really dead before we let them all go."

Raythor shook his head. "Don't you touch her," he growled.

"I know what I saw," Hay Lin insisted. "And I want to make sure that-"

"You probably saw her kill the Astral Drop. She captured the thing and turned it into an Altarmere just so she could hear it scream. She got a little overzealous and accidentally killed it."

Hay Lin's mouth dropped open and she turned to her grandmother.

"Grandma, is that possible?"

Yan Lin thought for a moment. Cocking her head, she replied slowly.

"It is possible, child, yes. We wouldn't know the difference between an Altarmere and the real Irma in a dream."

"Then, she really is...dead," Hay Lin said slowly.

"Happy, Guardian?" Raythor spat.

Hay Lin shook her head sadly and turned to face Irma. "No," she said, "I'm not."

Irma felt like she had been punched. She heard such betrayal in that small voice.

Raythor turned his face back to his fallen love and gently lifted her from the floor. Then he picked up her staff, and turned to his comrades.

"Knights," he said, hatred etched into his every feature, "we leave this place...for now."

The other Knights of Vengeance followed Raythor as he started away.

"Wait," Irma suddenly said, stepping from behind her friends. "The Heart of Meridian...give it to me."

"It can't be given by me, foolish girl," Raythor sneered. "You murdered the only person with the power to give it up."

"That is not so," the Oracle said. "As Nerissa is not the rightful owner of the Heart of Meridian, nor is she a Guardian, it can be taken without her permission."

"Well we're not giving it to you," Raythor snarled. "You've taken enough already."

"It's doing you no good," Halinor said. "Give us the Heart so we can undo Nerissa's evil."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Raythor said. "Well you can all rot in Hell, for all I care. My queen for yours."

"Give me the Heart, or I'll take it by force," Irma threatened, raising her hands.

Raythor gently lowered Nerissa to the floor and placed her staff across her chest. "So, one murder isn't enough for you, eh Guardian? You have the taste in your throat and now you want more. Well come and get some then, because we're not giving you anything."

Hay Lin suddenly placed herself between her friend and the sneering Knight. "Irma, no, don't do it."

"Hay Lin..."

"I don't want you to become Nerissa...please, I'm begging you."

"Hay Lin..."

"Irma, don't, please." Hay Lin threw up her hands. "No more, please, no more."

"Hay Lin, I'm not going to hurt them," Irma whispered. "Watch."

Irma raised her hand and made a gesture. Nerissa's staff flew across the room and into the Guardian's waiting hand. Using the power of Earth, she splintered the staff and the Heart of Meridian fell into her other palm.

"Telekinesis. Remember?" Irma said, tapping her head with a finger. She winked at Hay Lin, but her friend only turned away and went to stand by Taranee.

"Cute trick," Raythor growled. He scooped up his mistress once again and turned to leave. As the other Knights filed out the door, Irma created a fold.

"I have no idea where you're going, but it's the only way out of here," she said.

The Knights walked forlornly through the fold. Raythor, bringing up the rear, turned his head back towards his love's killer.

"This isn't over, Guardian. Mark my words."

Then he stepped through the fold.

–

Irma shivered at Raythor's parting words. As soon as the former guard was through the fold, she closed it and turned back to her friends.

"I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life and the lives of my family. I can never repay you for that."

"We're your friends, Irma," Will said stiffly. "We couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"It's really Luba that deserves the credit," Taranee said. "It was her idea. We just followed along."

Irma swallowed and approached Luba. "How can I ever repay you for what you've done?"

Luba inclined her head. "Please, Guardian, it was my duty."

"But how did you do it?" Irma asked. "The rules were no interference from the Council."

"I am no longer a member of the Council," Luba answered. "I was discharged some time ago. As such, my interference was not covered under the conditions Nerissa set."

"What did you do, exactly?" Irma asked.

"I instructed the Guardians to transfer their powers to their Aurameres. After they did so, I transferred them to you. Your friends had no idea what they were doing, so they did not, technically, interfere."

Irma nodded. "Nice loophole."

Taranee turned to the Oracle suddenly. "Did you see this coming? Is that why you booted Luba off the Council?"

The Oracle smiled. "Guardian, you may never understand the powers of an Oracle, but I assure you, had I seen this coming, I would have done everything in my power to stop it."

Irma threw her arms around Luba and buried her face in the furry shoulder. "I can never repay you for what you did. Never."

Luba wasn't sure how to react, so she simply patted the girl's back until the embrace subsided.

"Thank you, Luba," Irma intoned. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Enough, Guardian," Luba purred. "No thanks are necessary."

Irma let go of the big cat and turned to her friends.

"Thank you for trusting Luba and for always being there for me." Her eyes met her friends' eyes. Will and Hay Lin turned away.

Irma's heart sank. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Luba.

"Guardian, you need to relinquish your powers now. They do not belong to you, but to your friends."

Irma barely heard Luba as she continued to gaze at Hay Lin. The smallest Guardian had already turned and was stalking towards the Chamber of the Aurameres.

"Guardian?" Luba said, approaching the dazed young woman.

Irma shook herself. "Yeah, yeah I know. Just tell me what to do."

"Follow me," Luba said. She led the Guardians from the Chamber and into the Chamber of the Aurameres.

"Place your hands on either side of your Auramere."

Irma did so, and felt the throbbing hum and the warmth of the shining orb.

"Now hold onto it...do not let it go."

Irma nodded and tightened her grip.

Luba intoned some words in a strange language. The Auramere began to shake uncontrollably, and Irma fought to maintain her hold. A high-pitched shriek filled the Chamber, and Hay Lin clapped her hands over her ears. Then suddenly, the offending sound ceased and the Auramere exploded into four differently-colored lights.

Irma cried out and collapsed to the floor.

Cornelia and Taranee raced to their fallen friend. Will took a few steps then stopped to observe from a distance. Hay Lin stood still and never moved.

"Taranee," Irma said shakily, "it hurts."

"What happened?" Taranee asked as she knelt to comfort her friend.

"The powers of the Five Guardians have left her," Luba answered. "Her injuries are more than one Guardian can bear."

"We have to get her to her Chamber," Cornelia said quickly.

"Not yet," Luba replied. "We must complete the ceremony first, else your powers will be lost."

"But she's in pain!" Cornelia insisted.

"Go," Irma croaked hoarsely. "Just hurry up...please."

Taranee and Cornelia returned to their Aurameres. Instinctively, they placed their hands on either side of their respective orbs. They were followed quickly by Will and Taranee.

Luba intoned more words in the same strange language as before. The high-pitched shriek once again filled the Chamber, but subsided almost instantly. In a blinding flash, the lights disappeared into the orbs, and the Aurameres began to hum with power.

The Guardians felt their powers return.

The Guardians maintained their hold on their Aurameres until Luba nodded. Then Cornelia, Will, and Taranee made their way quickly to Irma.

Cornelia took Irma's hand. "Hay Lin, can you use your powers to float Irma to her Chamber? That way we won't have to touch her and possibly aggravate her injuries."

She received no response.

"Hay Lin?" Cornelia looked around.

But the Air Guardian had already left the Chamber.

"What's up with her?" Cornelia asked.

"I don't know," Taranee answered. "I'll see if I can help later. Right now we have to see to Irma."

Luba knelt and examined Irma's injuries, probing gently with her paws. The girl hissed in pain when the cat touched her ribs, and moaned deeply when she pressed on her back.

"I believe her ribs are broken, and her back is severely injured," Luba finally answered.

"Is it broken?" Cornelia asked breathlessly.

Luba shook her head. "Doubtful. Were it broken, she would feel little pain."

Cornelia nodded, realizing that was obvious. "Can you pick her up without hurting her?"

Luba shook her head. "I can lift her, but it will likely cause her some pain."

"We have to get her to her Chamber, but I don't want to hurt her," Cornelia stressed.

"Do we really have a choice?" Will responded, gazing into Irma's pain-filled eyes.

Irma swallowed hard and nodded.

"Here, Will," the young Guardian said, holding out her hand. "You should take the Heart of Meridian. I don't want it and I don't need it."

Will covered Irma's hand with her own and took the softly-glowing jewel.

"It belongs to Elyon. I'll make sure she gets it back."

Irma nodded first to Will then to Luba.

The cat slipped her powerful arms underneath the Guardian and lifted her off the floor. Irma bit her lip to keep from crying out, but even so, a low grunt escaped from her lips.

The women exited the Chamber and made their way through the fortress. Irma, too weak to even hold the cat's neck, lay limply in Luba's arms.

"We will be there soon, cubling," Luba intoned softly. "Rest now...you have earned it."

With those words, Irma passed into darkness.

–

Will walked silently behind the procession. It somehow felt wrong for the group not to include Hay Lin, but Will thought she knew why. Her Airy friend seemed most disturbed by what had happened to Nerissa. No, not by _what_ had happened, but by _who_ had happened.

Irma had killed Nerissa to protect herself, her friends, and her family. Will harbored no illusions that the evil hag would have respected the banishment had Irma let her live...but was that reason to kill her?

On the one hand, Will knew Nerissa would never let Irma go as long as she drew breath. She would have found a way around the consequences of her surrender. Therefore, one could argue that the killing was justified to save lives.

On the other hand, killing another soul was enough to rip one's own apart. Could such a final solution truly be justified in the end? Was all life truly precious, or were there some people who just didn't deserve to live anymore? Nerissa had killed a previous Water Guardian years ago, and had nearly murdered another many times over. She had been prepared to kill Irma just moments ago, and Will knew the evil hag enjoyed hurting others. Their pain gave her pleasure. Did such an obviously sick individual have the right to draw breath?

Will's head began to hurt. She was no good at moral conundrums. She needed to talk with Taranee.

_Taranee, can we talk?_

_Always, Will. What's on your mind?_

_I'm not sure how I feel about what just happened. _

Will paused for a time.

_Go on, _Taranee prompted.

_Well, it's just that, I guess I can understand why Irma did what she did, but I'm not sure I like it._

Taranee said nothing, content to allow Will to get it all out first.

_I don't believe for one second Nerissa would have stuck to being banished, so what Irma did, she did to protect herself and those she loves. _

_So what's the problem, Will?_

_I'm just not sure how I feel about Irma actually killing someone. I'm afraid it will change her a lot, and that she won't be the same person we know._

Taranee paused before answering. _Could she really be any worse off than she was after Nerissa finished with her?_

Will thought for a moment. _Probably not, but it would be in a different way. She killed someone...you just can't be the same after something like that. _

_True, but what choice did she have? You said yourself Nerissa would have found a way to come after us. The way I see it, this was the only way to protect herself and everyone else._

_So you're not concerned at all about the implications of killing another human being?_

_I didn't say that, Will. Of course I'm worried about the effect this will have on Irma. I think once the reality sinks in, she's going to be in a very bad way. She's going to realize exactly what she's done and it's gonna hit her hard._

_So what do we do about it?_

Taranee was silent for a time. _I'm not sure there's much we can do, Will. She's going to have to come to terms with what she's done. We can try to lend support as much as we can, but ultimately she's going to have to work out her feelings on her own. _

_And what if those feelings cause some kind of emotional damage she can't deal with?_

_You mean like a psychotic break?_

Will shrugged. _Okay, like a psychotic break._

_I don't think any of us are prepared to handle something like that. It would be reminiscent of a few weeks ago when Irma was trying to deal with being tortured. She got through that eventually...we'll just have to hope she's got some strength left._

Will was quiet for a time. There's s_omething that's really bothering me, Taranee. What if Irma's not disturbed by this at all? Did you see how she laughed when she was attacking the KOV? She was enjoying it, T. _

Taranee nodded. _Yeah, that bothers me a little bit, too. But I think it's more likely Irma will be bothered by what she did, eventually. She had a lot of adrenaline during the battle. Once that's worn off, she'll be able to reflect on everything's that happened. That's when I think we'll see a difference._

_I hope you're right._

They arrived at the Elemental Chamber of Water, and Cornelia opened the double doors. The aquamarines filling the Chamber sparkled like diamonds and reflected in the surface of the impossibly blue pool that dominated the Chamber.

Luba approached the giant pool and gently lowered her load into the water. Irma sank beneath the blue liquid and was immediately enveloped in a clear sphere, shielding her lungs and body. The water seemed to embrace her lovingly.

"She will recover now," Luba said, standing upright. "It may take some hours, but she will heal."

"I'd like to stay with her," said Will.

"I'll stay with you," Cornelia volunteered.

Taranee was quiet and had her eyes half-closed. Presently, she looked at her friends. "Hay Lin's not answering me. I think she might need some time, so I'll hang out here, too."

Luba nodded. "As you wish, Guardians. I shall leave you to your thoughts."

The Guardians nodded and the big cat exited the Chamber, closing the doors behind her.

"Wasn't that just the bomb?" Cornelia enthused. "That bitch is finally dead."

"Irma killed someone, Cornelia," Will said. "How can you be so enthusiastic?"

"Hey, I'm not gonna cry over Nerissa. She got what she deserved. I'm only sorry I didn't get to do it myself."

Will nodded. "Yeah I guess so. She really wouldn't have left any of us alone. I suppose it's for the best."

"Damn straight it is," Cornelia said. "I'm going to congratulate Irma the minute she wakes up instead of insulting her."

"Wow, you really _are_ pleased," Will grinned.

Taranee spoke up. "I'm worried about Hay Lin. Did you guys see the way she reacted after we got our powers back? She made a beeline for the door. She didn't even seem to care about Irma."

"She'll get over it," Cornelia said, waving her hand. "She's just in shock. When that wears off, she'll realize Irma did the only thing she could do."

"I'm not so sure of that," Taranee replied. "She seems really upset, and she's refusing to answer me. I'm not even getting a 'not now, Taranee,' or a 'go away, Taranee.' I'm just not getting an answer at all."

"Maybe we should go talk to her," Will suggested.

Taranee shook her head. "No...I think she needs some time. Besides, her grandma should be the first to approach her in a case like this. She needs an adult, not a bunch of kids."

"Hey _I _am not a kid," Cornelia sniffed. "We've been through a lot more than most adults, so that makes us...er...not kids."

Taranee grinned a little. "Okay, so we're not kids. But we're still not as old as Grandma Lin."

"I'm gonna tell her you said that," Cornelia said.

"I just meant that she has more life experience than we do."

"I'm still gonna tell her you said that."

Will turned the Heart of Meridian over and over in her hand. She was staring at the lovely jewel and barely listening to the banter between her friends. Something seemed to hold her mesmerized, and she could swear she heard whispering. Suddenly a thought came to her and she jumped to her feet.

"Guys," Will said, "maybe we can use both Hearts to heal Elyon!"

"Come again?" Cornelia said, still dwelling on Yan Lin's age.

"Elyon couldn't be healed by the Heart of Candracar, but maybe if we use both Hearts together..."

Taranee and Cornelia looked at each other.

"It's worth a try," Taranee shrugged.

"And Sleeping Beauty over here isn't going to wake up for a while," Cornelia said, indicating Irma with her thumb.

"Then let's go," Will enthused.

Together, the three Guardians exited the Chamber and took off for Elyon's room at a run.

–

Hay Lin exited the Chamber of the Aurameres quickly. She couldn't face Irma right now. Her friend had just murdered someone and tried to murder several others. Hay Lin, quite frankly, wanted nothing to do with Irma.

The Air Guardian stalked through the fortress, unsure of where to go. Finally she headed for her Elemental Chamber. If she could find peace anywhere, it would be there.

The slender girl entered her Chamber and allowed a cloud to ferry her to the center. Hay Lin didn't have the energy to fly and wasn't sure she ever would again. Everything about her world had been shattered. Sure her enemy was dead and couldn't hurt them anymore, but she hadn't died gloriously or valiantly...she had been murdered.

Hay Lin was aware of Taranee attempting to contact her telepathically, but she ignored her friend. She really wasn't in the mood to hear her friends try to justify what Irma had done.

As Hay Lin's cloud approached the center of the Chamber, she could see another figure already sitting on the largest, fluffiest cloud usually reserved for the Air Guardian. Hay Lin didn't need to be a telepath to know this was her grandmother. Hay Lin really didn't feel like talking, but what could she do? The old woman had already seen her.

Hay Lin's cloud deposited her on the fluffy Cumulus next to Yan Lin. Then it floated serenely away to play amongst its fellows. The old woman approached her granddaughter and immediately hugged her. Hay Lin hugged her grandmother back, but felt little emotion behind it.

"My dear little one," Yan Lin cooed. "Tell grandma what's wrong."

_Cutting right to the chase,_ Hay Lin thought.

"I don't wanna talk right now, grandma."

Yan Lin sat down and patted the cloud beside her. Hay Lin sighed and sat down next to her grandmother. The old woman gazed at the small Guardian expectantly.

"I said I don't wanna talk," Hay Lin said, refusing to meet the older woman's gaze. Instead the young girl looked at the cloud, trying to admire the magic that allowed something so fragile to be so strong.

"We all have to do things we don't want to do," Yan Lin replied. "Now tell grandma what's wrong."

"Who says anything's wrong?"

"I saw how you looked in the Assembly Chamber, and I heard the way you spoke to Irma. You sounded sad. I want to know why."

Hay Lin sighed again and closed her eyes. She realized her grandma wasn't going to let it go, so she decided she would spell it out for her.

"Irma just murdered someone, grandma. And she did it in cold blood. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"I'm not sure it was murder, child," Yan Lin responded. "It seems to me like she did it in self-defense. You and I both know Nerissa would never have honored her punishment. She would have found a way to come after you girls."

"So that makes it alright to just wipe somebody out?"

"I didn't say that. What you need to understand and realize is-"

"No, grandma, not this time. You didn't hear what Irma whispered to Nerissa just before she killed her."

"And what was that, little one?"

Hay Lin stared down at the cloud. "When Nerissa had surrendered, and was begging Irma to stop, do you remember when she was pleading for her life? Irma said she would let her live if she surrendered. Well, when Nerissa was begging her to stop, and reminding her of her promise, Irma whispered, 'I lied.' So you see, it was murder...it wasn't self-defense."

Hay Lin continued. "I'm completely disgusted by Irma right now. I can't even look at her. I thought she was strong enough to handle this, that she was healing. I thought she was putting her life back together, and now I see it was all just an illusion. I feel lied to, grandma, and I don't want to associate with a lying murderer."

Yan Lin was unaccustomed to hearing such harsh words from her granddaughter, especially towards Irma. She thought nothing would ever separate the two girls...they had been practically joined at the hip since they had first met years ago. Yan Lin understood that Hay Lin was hurt and angry, so she decided she needed to soothe that hurt first.

"My little one, such pains you have endured these past several weeks. I fear you have been permanently scarred by more than just Nerissa's lightning. I know deep down you still care about Irma. Somehow, we need to get you to see it again."

Hay Lin closed her eyes and tried to feel what her grandmother was saying. She supposed it should be difficult to throw away years of friendship for one incident, but this was a huge incident. Her parents had taught her to respect life of all kinds, and now her best friend had snuffed one out like it was nothing more than an ant invading a picnic. Hay Lin understood that sometimes you had to do drastic things to protect your loved ones, but she didn't think herself capable of killing a human being. During her musings, she realized her grandma was speaking again.

"Try to think of all the good things your friendship has brought. Even before you were chosen as Guardians, you have protected one another, been there for each other, cried and laughed together. You have been instrumental in helping Irma to heal emotionally. As bad as the physical damage was, the mental damage was worse; you helped Irma through that, too. You refused to abandon her even after she said terrible things to you. She tried to push you away, and you would not be denied. She needs you now, more than ever. You cannot turn her away."

"She doesn't need me," Hay Lin replied, her dark eyes flashing. "She needs her head examined. Irma killed Nerissa out of some misplaced sense of vengeance, not because she was thinking of the rest of us. Then she turned on the KOV and would have killed them had I not stopped her. Did you hear her, grandma? She was laughing. She was enjoying it. For a second, she _was_ the enemy she hates most. She was Nerissa. Now she's seeing the price of vengeance...and it's me."

"But Irma stopped, Hay Lin, she stopped. Nerissa would not have allowed anyone to interfere, and, indeed, managed to kill Irma the way she killed Cassidy. Oh she would have claimed it was an accident, but we would know the truth. You cannot compare Irma to Nerissa for this reason alone. Irma stopped, and you stopped her. That shows you care about her."

"How so?"

"Because, little one, unless I miss my guess, you restrained Irma to keep her from killing the Knights of Vengeance because you did not wish to see your friend become a cold-blooded killer. It wasn't because you wanted to save your enemies' lives...it was because you wanted to save Irma's. Once someone kills another, it is hard to stop. You become drunken with their blood and the sheer godlike power murder grants is difficult to break."

Yan Lin continued. "Plus, being granted the power of five Guardians is an awesome undertaking. It takes a strong mind to handle it, and Irma's has been damaged. The power associated with the five elements is not to be taken lightly. There is a reason the elements are split between five individuals and not given to just one or two. No one can handle that amount of power for any length of time. Giving it up would have been very difficult for Irma had you not steadied her mind."

"She attacked me, grandma. She pushed me to the floor and was raising her hand to strike me down. The only reason I'm still alive is because Will, Taranee, and Corny tackled her."

Yan Lin shook her head vigorously. "No, Hay Lin, no; that's not true. Irma was standing down before the others restrained her. You said you were her friend and she recognized that. I believe no one but you would have been able to get through to her at that time. Your relationship defies everything conventional wisdom has to say. It transcends the highest of obstacles, and has never been stronger. Even though you struggle now, I know you will find it in your heart to forgive Irma."

Hay Lin had to admit her grandmother was right. Still, she was horrified on every level by what Irma had done.

"How do I get past this, grandma? How do I learn to love a murderer?"

"You must talk with her; you must tell her how you feel. But abandoning her like this...it's cruel. When Irma realizes the full magnitude of what she's done, I believe she will fall into an abyss of self-loathing. She will need your light to guide her back to herself. If you cannot get past this, then Nerissa will have killed Irma anew. Driving a wedge between you two will surely have a devastating effect on her...and on you."

Hay Lin's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to do the right thing. "I can't do it, grandma; I just can't. Everything between us has changed, and I can't pretend it hasn't. She murdered a woman who may have deserved it, but who are we to decide that? We may be Guardians, and we may kick serious booty, but that doesn't give us the right to start judging who lives and who dies. Irma had no right to murder another human being, no matter what her crimes. I just can't get past that."

"But what had Nerissa done to Irma?" Yan Lin replied. "She tortured her terribly, raped her mind many times over, tried to kill her friends, threatened to torture her family to death, tried to drive a wedge between her and her parents through deception and mind games. Can you truly blame Irma for wanting revenge on someone like that?"

"No, not really," Hay Lin sighed. "But that's no excuse to murder. There's a difference I don't think you're seeing. Irma didn't just kill Nerissa, she _murdered_ her. I don't know how many times I have to keep saying that before you understand."

"I _do_ understand, child, I _do_ understand. But we cannot change the past. Are you going to make Irma suffer because she made a rage-induced decision you wouldn't have made? How can you say you wouldn't have done the same thing in Irma's position? You haven't been through what she's been through, experienced what she's experienced. All the horror Nerissa visited upon her, it changes a person. You can't judge her based on normal circumstances. These are clearly not normal times."

"You think she was right don't you?" Hay Lin said, her voice full of outrage. "You think she did the right thing in killing Nerissa. How can you possibly support this?"

"I do not support or fight her decision. It is simply something that is; something I cannot change. What I prefer to concentrate on is how we can help Irma get through this. We are all she has, and she will need us."

Hay Lin opened her mouth to respond, then almost immediately closed it. The truth was, her grandma was right. Here was Hay Lin trying to find every reason not to support Irma, and her grandmother was doing everything possible to show her she was wrong. Well no one had the right to tell her how she was supposed to feel. Hay Lin felt betrayed, but she saw she needed to try and help Irma, nonetheless. She was torn between anger and gratitude for her grandmother.

"Alright, grandma, I'll try to get past this. But somehow I don't think our relationship will ever be the same. My best friend the Guardian, just became my best friend the murderer. She's no better than Nerissa, as far as I'm concerned. At least when Nerissa killed Cassidy it was an accident. This was calculating and personal."

Yan Lin folded her hands in her lap. "There is something you should know. Nerissa told me herself not long ago that she killed Cassidy on purpose. She told me it was intentional and had been planned for some time. Nerissa was a murderer, little one; plain and simple. At least Irma killed her enemy in the throes of battle and rage. I do not believe she went into the duel expecting to kill her opponent. I believe the feelings of murder and destruction entered her heart after she received the five powers. I believe this should be taken into account before Irma is judged too harshly."

"So, Cassidy was murdered? It wasn't an accident?" Hay Lin's tears began to course down her cheeks.

"No, it was no accident."

"Then Irma did to Nerissa what Nerissa did to Cassidy. Even if it wasn't planned that way, murder is still murder. They put people in jail for the rest of their lives for stuff like this. What is the Council going to do to Irma?"

Yan Lin shook her head. "I don't know, but they won't stay quiet about it."

"But there are extenuating circumstances, like you said. Maybe they'll just let her go."

"Perhaps, child."

Hay Lin furrowed her brow. "I don't want to see Irma locked up like Nerissa was. Then she really _will_ become the nightmare. Nerissa will have won after all if that happens."

Yan Lin placed her hand on Hay Lin's moist cheek. "Now you begin to understand. When Nerissa killed Cassidy, I felt just as betrayed as you do now. Nerissa was my best friend, after all. I made the mistake of not standing by her at her trial. It was my betrayal of our friendship that caused the most damage. Sure, isolation will brew contempt, but I believe Nerissa would not have been so bent on vengeance had it not been for me and my actions that day. In a roundabout way, I feel like much of this horror has been my fault. If we do not want Irma to end up the same way, you must stand by her now. Show her your friendship is stronger than Nerissa."

Hay Lin sniffed loudly and nodded. "It will be stronger than Nerissa. I still don't like what Irma did, and it will take me some time to get past it...if I ever do. But that hag is not going to break us up."

The slender Guardian threw her arms around the old woman's neck and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, grandma. Thank you for making me see two sides."

"Go to her, child. Go to your friend and mend bridges."

"I will," Hay Lin said, rising to her feet.

With that, she fluttered her wings and took off for the doors.

–

Three Guardians sprinted through the halls toward Elyon's bedroom. Cornelia held onto a sliver of hope for her friend at last. She prayed Will was correct and that the Hearts' combined powers would wake the young queen.

The three girls burst through Elyon's bedroom door to find her still slumbering. The only difference from the last time they had seen her was the slight greenish hue to her features.

Cornelia sat down on the bed and took her friend's hand. She placed her other hand on Elyon's forehead.

"She's burning up. We have to do something fast."

Will nodded and stepped closer to the bed.

Holding a Heart in each hand, she raised both fists high above her head. Clutching the Hearts tightly, Will allowed her own energy to flow through them. The room filled with amber and rose lights as the young Keeper commanded the powers of the jewels. Then without warning, Will brought her hands together, so the Hearts now physically touched one another. The lights combined, each trying to outdo the other.

Will directed the lights at Elyon's chest. Power poured into the slumbering royal as Taranee and Cornelia watched breathlessly.

Presently, the lights faded and the room returned to its normal, soft glow.

Elyon remained motionless.

Cornelia swallowed and placed her hand on her friend's forehead.

"There's been no change," she said sadly, her shoulders slumping.

Will looked confused. "I was so sure that would work."

Taranee and Will placed a hand on each of Cornelia's shoulders. The blond Guardian began to sob softly.

"She's going to die, isn't she? The only person in the entire galaxy with the power to stop this is dead now. My best friend is going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Cornelia threw herself over Elyon and cried uncontrollably.

"All this power we have, and what good is it now? The Heart of Candracar couldn't save Elyon from Nerissa, and now the combined might of the Hearts of Meridian and Candracar can't save her, either. I can't live without her, you guys. What am I going to do?"

Will looked at Taranee and was about to reply, when something interrupted her.

Elyon's eyes flew open and she looked around wildly. Her chest heaved and she let out a strangled cry. Cornelia, alarmed at the strange events, sat up and gazed at her friend.

"Elyon? Elyon, can you hear me?"

The queen's eyes focused briefly on the young Guardian. She raised her hand to Cornelia's cheek.

"Cornelia...I'm...sorry."

Then the small body slumped into the pillows and lay motionless.

–

**And there is Chapter 17. I hope you enjoyed it, but if not, that's okay too. Please let me know what y'all think...I love to hear any and all comments. Thanks for reading. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Welcome back to the Pit, ladies and gentlemen. As always, please allow me to acknowledge my faithful reviewers: XV-Dragon (Congrats for being the first one out of the gate.); ZestyChicken2 (The Raythor-Nerissa thing was all me. As far as I know it's not in the cartoon.); cartoonloverfan101 (Thank you for being a stalwart fan.); Nemrut (No worries, my friend; I'm not offended. I thank you for your honesty...and I'm with Cornelia too.); Nightroad (Very deep review...I loved it.); Robert Teague (Thank you so much for your kind words...I shall try not to disappoint.); Lost Prince (Hello again. Would love to hear your thoughts about a trial. PM me.); Dragojiin (Welcome to the Pit! Thank you for reviewing. LOVED the Shutup Hippie line!); Darev (Yet another insightful review. Revenge breeds revenge and all too often, justice is forgotten in the cycle. And yet...); Lily312 (Hello again Lily...of course I remember you! I have missed you. Glad to see you back!); Daydreamer9 (Karma...I agree 100%); Nerd4eva (Hehe...thank you for all the AWESOME compliments); Philip Gipson (True about the girls' friendship. Good job remembering that.); Laserleg (Good insights. Thank you.); Shocklance (Thanks for your compliments on characterization.); Wolfgurl211 (Thank you for your continued support.) ; AJ (As always, your review made me laugh. Liked the Bad Guardian, no keyboard line.); Toolazytomakeanaccount (Thank you for your compliments...I appreciate your support. And awesomesauce was funny); szasha (Welcome to the Pit! Thanks for leaving a review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.)**

**A lot of you had some trouble with Hay Lin last chapter. She got blasted a lot in the reviews. On the other hand, everyone liked Cornelia. I think this may be a first in the W.I.T.C.H. Universe. LOL. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. Let's get on with the story, shall we?**

**May I thus present:**

**Chapter 18**

"Elyon! Elyon!" Cornelia shook her friend's shoulders violently, as if she could awaken the girl by brute force.

But the Queen remained motionless.

"Will, do something!"

The Guardian Leader watched the scene as if in slow motion. She felt powerless to move, much less help. Yet here was Cornelia begging her, Will Vandom, to do just that. Will knew she had to snap out of it, to think; but her mind refused to cooperate. With a small grunt, the redhead slapped her forehead in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She had to do something, and she had to do it now.

Will had never been the most logical person, and was certainly not know for deep-thinking. But for some reason, the Heart of Candracar had chosen her to be the leader of the defenders of the universe. Obviously, the little jewel saw something in her she did not see herself. Although self-deprecation was not an unusual thought process for Will, it was, at the moment, counterproductive. She needed to think clearly now...for Elyon.

The young Keeper gazed at the pink jewel in her right hand, willing it to reveal some hidden secret that would save Elyon's life. She concentrated on her own image reflected in the glowing ball and blocked out everything else. It was as if she was the only person in the room, and the world had simply ceased to function. For a few seconds, Will experienced the most beautiful sense of serenity and calm...and she knew, in that instant, exactly what to do.

"Cornelia, move aside," Will commanded, striding to Elyon's bedside.

Cornelia, still pleading with her friend to awaken, barely heard her leader's request. But hear it she did, and she reluctantly surrendered her position on the edge of the bed.

Will immediately grasped Elyon's right hand and shoved the Heart of Meridian into the dying girl's palm. Then she quickly positioned that hand directly over the girl's heart. Rising to her feet, the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar raised her fist into the air. The jewel in her clenched fist glowed brightly and soon filled the room with a luminous, rosy glow.

Amber light soon joined pink as the Heart of Meridian sprang to life. The lights filled the room with such brightness, that Cornelia and Taranee were forced to shield their eyes. Will closed her own eyes and poured her energy into the Heart of Candracar. She gritted her teeth as her own life essence began to be absorbed by the Heart. She moaned softly as she felt her strength waning.

As the seconds passed, Will threw her head back and struggled to remain upright. She cried out silently, the stress from being drained nearly forcing her to her knees. When she could take the strain no longer, the young Keeper sank to her knees and bowed her head, exhausted.

The rosy light waned and the amber glow ebbed. Soon, the room returned to its normal, dimly-lit hue. Taranee and Cornelia blinked several times and rubbed their eyes. Seeing Will kneeling on the floor, Taranee moved to her side and placed a concerned, comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

Cornelia walked stiffly to Elyon's bed.

"Did...did it work?" she asked, almost fearful of the answer.

Will turned exhausted eyes to the slumbering queen and strained her gaze for any sign of life. As she watched, Elyon's chest began to rise in fall in rhythmic motion. Her eyes began to flutter, and a low moan escaped her lips.

"Elyon?" Cornelia whispered, clasping her hands under her chin.

"Cor-nel-ia," Elyon muttered slowly.

"Elyon!" Cornelia threw her slender arms around her friend's neck and hugged her tightly.

"I can't believe it...you're okay!"

"I guess...that depends...on who...you ask," Elyon whispered. It sounded like she had cotton in her mouth, but a small smile played at her lips, nonetheless.

Cornelia just couldn't stop squeezing her friend, and it was only after Taranee intervened that the tallest Guardian released the young queen. Suddenly, Cornelia remembered Will and turned her attention to her leader.

"Will, what happened? Are you okay?"

The redhead was sitting in the corner of the room, her back against the cool wall. She was breathing hard and holding her chest, but otherwise looked unharmed.

"I transferred some of my own life energy to Elyon," Will replied weakly. "I guess I wasn't expecting quite so much of a strain."

Cornelia gazed at Will with a new-found respect...and with gratitude. She moved towards her friend and knelt in front of her. She took Will's hands and looked deeply into her brown eyes.

"You saved my best friend's life at nearly the cost of your own. I can never repay you for that. Thank you."

Will grinned and felt her face go red. "It's not all that dramatic, Corny. I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit."

Cornelia smiled. "I may forever be in your debt, but that does not give you license to call me Corny." The blond Guardian mussed Will's hair and suddenly realized how truly vulnerable the girl seemed. Her face, though youthful, looked somehow lined and gray. Her eyes seemed tired and frightened of something Cornelia couldn't see. She wondered what haunted those brown pools so.

"What's been...happening?" Elyon asked suddenly. "I feel so...so weak."

"You were poisoned," Taranee replied turning to face Elyon. "You almost died."

Elyon coughed and closed her eyes. "I remember being sick, and I remember Trill trying to nurse me back to health. She said...she said I had been sick for two weeks."

Elyon continued. "Who would have poisoned me? Who could have done such a terrible thing?"

The Guardians looked at each other. Finally Taranee spoke up.

"It was Nerissa."

Elyon's eyes flew open and her mouth dropped. "Nerissa? But how? She's dead."

Taranee shook her head. "We thought so, too. But she came back and tried to kill you. If not for Will and the Hearts of Meridian and Candracar, she probably would have succeeded."

"Elyon seemed to shrink back into the pillows, and her eyes took on a horrified look none of the Guardians had ever seen. "Where is she now?"

Taranee swallowed and looked at Will. At a nod from her leader, Cornelia pulled Will off the floor and helped her to Elyon's bedside. The redhead sat on the edge of the bed and looked directly at the young queen.

"She's dead. She can't hurt you anymore."

"For real this time?" Elyon asked breathlessly.

Will nodded.

Elyon breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes. Will took the young royal's hand.

"It'll be okay. She's gone now."

Elyon pulled herself up to a sitting position and threw her arms around Will's neck. She sobbed into the redhead's shoulder. Will patted her friend's back and let her cry.

_Taranee, what's going on?_

_Unless I miss my guess, Will, she's confronting her own mortality. _

_Pardon?_

_She was nearly killed by a madwoman. That's a hard thing for a teenager to take. Being targeted for murder isn't one of the normal problems kids have to face._

"How close did I come? To dying I mean," Elyon asked, snapping Will back to spoken conversation.

"Really close, El, really close," Cornelia answered. "If not for Will, we would have lost you."

"What did you do, Will?" Elyon asked, still sniffling.

"I just gave you some of my life energy. Honestly, it was the Heart of Meridian that did all the work."

Elyon pulled away from Will's shoulder and looked her in the face. "You saved my life. How can I ever say thank you for that?"

"Stop it, all of you," Will insisted. "Elyon, you're my friend. It wasn't a hard choice."

"But, Will-"

"No, enough now. I'm fine and Elyon's gonna be okay. That's what matters here. Thank you all for your admiration, but it's really misplaced. I made a lot of mistakes during our trials with Nerissa, and they nearly got us all killed. The very least I could do was help save Elyon's life."

"How can you say that, Will?" Taranee asked. "Without all of us working together, Nerissa would never have been defeated. It took everyone, including you, to take her down. That's something to be considered."

"You're selling yourself short, Red," Cornelia spoke up. "We all underestimated Nerissa. But we're still standing and she isn't. Give yourself a break."

Will swallowed and nodded. "Thank you...all of you."

"tell me everything that's happened," Elyon said, her voice sounding stronger. "Don't leave out any juicy details."

The Guardians took turns recounting the events of the past few days. Elyon listened in shock at the trauma and horror Nerissa had caused. She listened closely as Taranee described the duel between Irma and the evil hag. And she covered her mouth in shock when Cornelia described Nerissa's death.

"Irma _killed_ her? She really killed her?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, she really did. We all saw it."

"But how could she...where is Irma now?" Elyon asked.

"She's in her Chamber, resting," Will replied.

"And how is she doing?"

"She took a pretty serious beating, but she'll be fine," Cornelia answered.

Elyon held up her hand. "No, I mean how is she doing?"

Taranee thought she understood Elyon's question. "We're not really sure at the moment. She hasn't really had a chance to let it all sink in. Cornelia wasn't exaggerating when she said Irma took a beating. I think she was probably a little distracted by her pain to really think about what she did."

Elyon looked thoughtful. "I hope she's okay. What she did was really brave...and really stupid. What was she thinking, challenging Nerissa to a duel?"

"I don't know, but she won, didn't she?" Cornelia replied. "That's all that matters in the end."

"I hope you're right," Elyon said softly, though she didn't sound convinced. "I guess Hay Lin is with Irma now?"

"We're not actually sure," Taranee replied slowly. "She seemed pretty upset by the whole thing."

"Yeah, she walked out of the Chamber of the Aurameres as soon as we had our powers back," Cornelia said. "She didn't even seem concerned that Irma had collapsed, or that she was in serious pain."

"You know," Taranee spoke up," I think this may actually damage their friendship."

Elyon looked from one Guardian to the other. "No way. Those two can get through anything together. They've been joined at the hip for as long as I've known them. Hay Lin would never abandon Irma."

"I hope you're right," said Will, "but Hay Lin was pretty upset. Come to think of it, she seemed to know what Irma was going to do before she did it. How did she know that?"

The Guardians shrugged. "No idea, but who cares?" Cornelia answered. "The bitch is dead and we don't have to worry about her anymore."

"So you support this?" Elyon asked.

"Of course I do. We all know Nerissa would never have stayed banished. She'd have found a way to come after us and finish the job. Irma would never have been able to sleep at night knowing that bitch was out there, somewhere. She did the only thing she could do to ensure the safety of her friends and family. I, for one, think it's about time."

Elyon nodded. "I see your point, and I can't say I'm sorry to see her go. She tried to kill me, after all. What would stop her from trying again? I thought I was invincible, but now I see I'm not. Nerissa must have been impersonating Trill all along. It makes me wonder if there ever was a Trill, or if it was always Nerissa."

"But you're safe now, El," Cornelia said. "Nerissa is gone and she's never going to hurt anyone again."

"And I have you guys to thank for it."

Elyon puffed out her chest and lowered her voice to sound as queenly as possible. "You have the gratitude of an entire kingdom."

The Guardians laughed, happy that their friend was alive and well at last.

–

Irma awoke, wrapped in a transparent sphere at the bottom of a pool of impossibly blue water. She knew she was in her Chamber and she knew why. She had sustained severe injuries to her ribs, back, and face during her duel with Nerissa...but she had won that duel and Nerissa was now dead.

It all seemed surreal somehow. The Queen of Evil was actually dead, and Irma was still alive. She had actually prevailed in a fight no one, not even Irma, herself, had thought she could win. Of course without the help of her friends, she never would have won. Irma felt grateful to them, and knew they had saved her life.

So why did she feel so empty inside?

Deep down, Irma knew the answer to that question; she just didn't want to face the possibilities. She had seen the way Hay Lin had looked at her following Nerissa's death, and she knew Hay Lin had walked away when she had collapsed in the Chamber of the Aurameres. Irma wasn't the brightest star in the sky, but she wasn't stupid, either. She knew what those signs meant.

They meant she had lost a friend.

But not just any friend...her _best_ friend. Irma knew she would do anything for Hay Lin; she would die for Hay Lin. That seemed to be an okay thing, but killing for her seemed to be some kind of taboo. Of everything Nerissa had done to her, all the tortures she had inflicted, Irma was most angry by what the hag had done to Hay Lin. Carving up her stomach the way she had was unforgivable. The scars would forever be a physical reminder of what the Guardians had endured...of how close they had all come to losing everything.

The more Irma thought about it, the more convinced she became that she had killed Nerissa to protect everyone she held dear. Her family and friends meant the world to her, but the one face that always swam into view when she thought of these things was Hay Lin's.

In many ways, Irma was closer to the Asian girl than to anyone else in the world. She held a love for Hay Lin that was deeper than mere friendship...they were sisters in every way that mattered. She thought Hay Lin would do anything for her, and that thought had been reinforced when the Air Guardian had come to Irma and taken half her burden of agony. When the torture had been at its worst, Hay Lin had come and helped Irma through it. Without that help, Irma knew she would have broken.

It had been thoughts of Hay Lin that had made Irma stay strong throughout her ordeal, and it was thoughts of Hay Lin that had drug the young Water Witch out of the abyss of Hell. Though her demons had conspired to destroy her, Hay Lin had refused to surrender and had forced Irma to face those demons. Ultimately, because of Hay Lin's strength, Irma had won the battle and brought her mind back under control.

It had been for Hay Lin that Irma had killed Nerissa. Sure her family was motivation, and her other friends needed protecting, as well. But, in the end, Hay Lin had been the reason for Irma's decision to take another life. It was to protect Hay Lin form the horror Irma had experienced that she had ended Nerissa's life.

That was why Hay Lin's betrayal had hurt so much.

A wisp of water caressed the Guardian's cheek as she suffered in spirit. Her physical injuries had healed, but Irma felt her soul may never be the same. It felt torn somehow, like something was missing. Irma thought she knew what it was, but she didn't want to face those thoughts.

What if she had been wrong to kill Nerissa? Was it ever completely right to off another human being, no matter what their crimes? Irma could tell herself forever that she had done it in self-defense, but then she remembered one thing...Nerissa had surrendered before Irma had killed her.

A crushing thought slammed into the Water Guardian's chest. Her enemy had given up and Irma had refused to accept that surrender. Her memory was foggy about the events following the transfer of the four Guardians' powers, but she knew Nerissa had begged for her life. She had begged to live the way Irma had begged to die. Neither party showed any mercy to their foe, and now one of them was dead.

Irma's breathing began to accelerate and she felt her chest constricting. She felt sick all over, as two words echoed in her mind.

"_I lied._"

_I'm a murderer, _Irma thought to herself. _I'm a cold-blooded murderer._

All her thoughts of a valiant battle climaxing with the death of her foe flew out the window. Irma realized she was only trying to convince herself by thinking she had killed Nerissa in self-defense. Who was she kidding? She had killed Nerissa out of vengeance.

Cold, steely, vengeance.

Vengeance for what Nerissa had done to her, to her friends, to Elyon, and especially to Hay Lin.

Irma vomited then, utterly sick at this realization. She vomited violently, causing some strain to her newly-healed ribs. But Irma didn't care...she deserved pain for what she had done.

She deserved to die.

Now she understood why Hay Lin had been so hurt. Of all her friends, the Air Guardian respected and loved life the most. She was always happy and go-lucky. She saw the best in everything and everyone. She could always make a cloudy day bright, or a rainy day sunny. Everything she did, everything she was, possessed an innocence no one could match.

Now that innocence was gone and it was Irma's fault. She had subjected her best friend tot he worst possible of crimes. She had murdered someone...and laughed about it.

Irma's memory was starting to clear, and she remembered cutting down the Knights of Vengeance with mirth and glee. Had it not been for Hay Lin, she would have murdered them, too. In fact, she had been ready to kill Hay Lin before the other Guardians had intervened. Once again, her sister had saved lives, only to be rewarded with violence from Irma.

Irma continued to vomit as these thoughts flashed through her mind. She fought to release herself from the water sphere. She wanted to drown herself. But her Chamber seemed to know her thoughts and refused to let her go.

Irma felt a warmth coursing through her, and knew it was her Chamber's way of wrapping her in love.

But the last thing Irma wanted to feel was loved.

She loathed herself and knew Hay Lin felt the same. Hurt, betrayal, pain, fear, disgust; all of these emotions had shown in the porcelain features of the Air Guardian the last time their eyes had met. Now Irma understood why, and she felt the same way about herself.

She screamed as she fought her Chamber. She was going to find a way to kill herself; even if she had to fight all of Candracar to do it. She would save the Council the burden of having to do it, themselves. But mostly, she would save Hay Lin from having to look at a betrayer for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, Irma felt her arms pinned to her sides. A pair of arms had wrapped themselves around her middle and bound her arms. She struggled and fought, she screamed and kicked, but still she remained pinned. She thrashed violently, trying to throw off the offending impediment, but her captor was too strong. Though her injuries had healed, Irma was still weak.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Not until you stop fighting," a voice answered. It was a familiar voice, but Irma couldn't quite place it in her manic state.

The Water Witch screamed again and kept fighting. It may be a losing battle, but it was one that was going to be fought, nonetheless.

"Irma, stop fighting. You're going to hurt yourself."

"I don't care," Irma responded with a growl.

"Well I do," the voice said again.

"What do you care?" Irma growled again, as she continued to buck and thrash.

"Because you're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Irma gasped and stopped fighting. She hung limply, her head hanging down on her chest.

"Please, Hay Lin, just let me go."

"You promise you won't try another stunt like that?"

Irma nodded and felt her arms being released. She turned to face the Air Witch and found the water sphere had expanded to allow the young Guardian inside. Irma couldn't look at her friend, so she kept her head bowed.

"What were you doing in here?" Hay Lin asked. "You looked like you were going berserk."

Irma just shook her head sadly.

Hay Lin folded her arms. "That's not going to do it, young lady. You answer me."

"Go away, Hay Lin," Irma muttered. "You don't want to be here right now."

"The explain to me why I'm here, under twenty-five feet of water, talking to you."

"Because you had some sort of misplaced obligation to see me.," Irma said bitterly. "Because you want to save me from myself, I'd wager."

"Misplaced obligation to see you," Hay Lin repeated. "Wow, Irma, those are some really big words."

The Air Guardian was smiling, hoping to bring her friend out of her funk, but Irma only turned away. Hay Lin's smile disappeared quickly.

"Irma-"

"Don't, Hay Lin, just don't. Spare me the speech, alright? I know what you think and I know why you think it. You don't need to explain, I get it."

"Irma, you don't understand. If you would just listen to-"

"I don't want to listen, Hay Lin. I just want to be alone."

"So you can hurt yourself by fighting your own Chamber?"

"The Chamber won't hurt me."

"No, but it can't stop you from hurting yourself. Not forever, anyway."

"What do you know about it?" Irma growled, turning on her friend. "You have no idea how I'm feeling, so just back off!"

"Oh I think I do know how you feel, Irma Lair. And if I'm right, you're thinking of doing more than just hurting yourself. You think I want that?"

"I don't think you get a vote."

"This isn't a democracy, Irma, it's a dictatorship. I'm the fascist and you're the subject, so get over it. What I say goes, and what I say right now is I'm not leaving you. You can't force me to abandon you, and no amount of screaming at me will change that."

Irma turned away again and hugged herself. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. On the one hand, she was thrilled that Hay Lin still seemed to like her even after what she had done. On the other hand, she wanted so desperately to curl up and die, that she didn't want any interference...especially from Hay Lin.

"Why are you here, Hay Lin?" Irma asked softly.

"I came to see how you were doing."

"Did you now? And who talked you into that? Taranee?"

Hay Lin felt guilty that Irma had seen right through her, but she wasn't about to lie.

"No," she said. "It was actually my grandmother."

"So you're here at Grandma Lin's behest, and not of your own volition," Irma said.

Hay Lin recognized it was a statement and not a question.

"Yes...and no."

Irma just hung her head and closed her eyes. "Just leave me alone, Hay Lin. Go tell your grandmother I'm fine. Tell her you saw me and I'm fine."

"You want me to lie to her? I don't think so. You are clearly _not_ fine. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"You seem to have all the answers...you tell me."

Hay Lin was stung for a moment. She wasn't expecting a cheerful reunion, but this was a bit much.

"I'm not Taranee, but I think you're upset with yourself for killing Nerissa."

Irma snorted. "Upset with myself? Upset with myself? You think this is upset with myself? It goes a little beyond being upset, Hay Lin."

"Then tell me. Help me understand."

"Why? So you can look at me like I just killed your puppy again?"

"Irma, I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Hay Lin. I don't need to. I know how you feel...because I feel the same way."

Hay Lin definitely wasn't expecting that. She expected Irma to try and defend what she had done.

Irma, her back still to Hay Lin, hugged herself tighter. "I'm a murderer, Hay Lin. I took Nerissa's life because I wanted to. I killed her because I wanted her to suffer the way she made me suffer. I wanted her to feel the same fear I've felt every moment of every day for the last several weeks. I wanted her to pay for hurting me and for hurting you."

"I hate her, Hay Lin. I've never felt hatred for anyone until this whole incident happened. Nothing could have convinced me to spare her life at that moment...not even you. And for that, I hate myself."

Hay Lin swallowed hard, but let her friend continue.

"I'm a murderer, and I don't deserve to live. Just let me go."

Hay Lin didn't know what to say. She hated to see such self-loathing, but at the same time, she was gratified to see her friend had done some soul-searching. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what it should be. Should she try to comfort her friend? Should she agree with her and see what happened? In the end, Hay Lin decided to try the soft approach.

"Irma, you did a terrible thing, yes, but that doesn't make you a terrible person. I understand why you did what you did, and I still love you. I don't agree with it, but I understand."

"How can you say you understand? How can you say you love me?"

"Because, Irma, it's the truth. Grandma and I talked a little and I understand what happened. I won't lie to you. Three hours ago I hated you, and I thought we could never be friends again. I didn't even want to look at you, I was so disgusted by what you had done. But after grandma and I talked, I realized something. That if I abandon you now, Nerissa will have won. Driving a wedge between us would be the ultimate torture and the ultimate victory. I'm not about to let that happen."

Irma was quiet as she digested what Hay Lin had said. The ultimate victory...truth rang in those words. She didn't want Nerissa to win, either, but how could she turn to someone for help when she wasn't sure she wanted help?

"I just want to die, Hay Lin. I'm so disgusted by what I've done. I wanted to kill that bitch and so I did. I wanted her to suffer and so she did. You didn't hear what I said to her just before I killed her."

"Yes I did, actually. You said 'I lied.'"

"How do you know that?"

"I heard you say it. I was closest to you and I was already starting forward to...um...celebrate. I heard what you said."

"Then how can you still-"

"Do we really have to rehash that, Irma? I've already told you why I still care about you. Why can't you just accept that?"

"And why can't you accept that I don't want to be loved? I just want to die, to leave all this behind. It's what I deserve."

Hay Lin placed her hands on Irma's shoulders and turned her around.

"Now you listen to me, Irma Lair, and you listen good. It's _not_ what you deserve and I'm not going to stand by and let you kill yourself. I'm not leaving until you get those thoughts right out of your head."

Irma didn't respond, only looked away from those piercing, brown eyes. Hay Lin grabbed Irma's chin and gently forced her head back to where it was.

"You're still Irma Lair, Tom and Anna's daughter. Your brother is Chris, and your best friend is...is me. It always has been and always will be. I won't leave you, Irma. I won't."

"Why are you doing this?" Irma said, her eyes beginning to leak. Can't you see I don't deserve this kind of devotion?"

"Irma, you're my friend and friends don't just take off because one of them does something weird. You killed someone, yes, but I know why you did it."

"Out of vengeance," Irma said dejectedly.

"Maybe," Hay Lin replied. "But you also did it to protect everyone you love. A simple banishment wouldn't have kept Nerissa away. She would have found a way to torment you. You would never have been free of her, and I know that. I think that justifies what you did."

Irma swallowed. "Do you really? Or are you just saying that to try to make me feel better?"

"Do you really think I'm that transparent, Irma? That I say things I don't mean? You should know me better by now."

"So Mrs. Lin convinced you this is how you feel?"

"Mrs. Lin...I mean _Grandma_ did have to do some convincing, yes. At first, like I said, I didn't even want to look at you. Then she had to play the Nerissa-will-have-won-if-you-two-don't-support-each-other card. And _that_ I agree with wholeheartedly."

Irma wanted so badly to agree with what Hay Lin was saying. She realized she did want forgiveness, after all. She did want to live as long as Hay Lin wanted her to live. As long as Hay Lin was her friend, there would be something worth living for.

"Can you ever forgive me, Hay Lin? Can you ever accept what I've done? Can things be the same between us?"

Hay Lin's eyes took on a gentle, yet sad look to them. "I won't lie to you Irma. Yes I can forgive you, and yes I can accept what you did. But can things be the same between us? I just don't know the answer to that question yet."

Irma was hoping the answer would be different, but somehow knew how it would turn out. She had finally done it; managed to damage their friendship beyond repair.

"Everything's going to change isn't it? You and me, the Guardians, my family. It's all going to change."

Hay Lin nodded. "Yes, it is."

Irma looked up in the air and tried to fight the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "I don't want them to change, Hay Lin. I don't want my parents to look at me like I'm some kind of freak, but I know they will. I don't want them to worry when I'm alone with Chris, but I know they will. I don't want Will, Corny, and Taranee to treat me differently, but I know they will. And I don't want you to look at me sideways...but I know you will."

Hay Lin reached out and hugged Irma. "You've got to give things time to settle down. Your parents will understand and the other Guardians will be fine. Honestly, I think I'm the only one having trouble with this. And if you give me some time...who knows? Maybe...maybe we'll be stronger than ever."

"You don't believe that, Hay Lin."

Hay Lin grinned slightly. "Maybe someday I will."

"Don't let me hurt myself, Hay-Hay. I feel like I'm on the edge. I can still feel Nerissa inside my head, and I know she would want me to hurt myself. I almost gave in to those wishes."

"I won't leave you, Irma. You'll heal in time, I know you will. You've just got to hang on."

"I don't think I will, Hay Lin. I can feel her all the time. I'll never be free of her, even though she's dead. I feel naked to the world, and I just don't think I can handle this."

Hay Lin hugged her friend tighter. "I'll help you in any way I can. Let me be here for you."

Irma shook her head. "No, Hay Lin, I don't want this darkness to take you, too. You said yourself you can still it."

"So let your friends and family be the light that drives it away."

Irma giggled then. "That was really corny."

Hay Lin giggled with her friend. "Yeah it was, but it's true. Your parents know about the Guardians now, and they know what really happened. They won't accuse you of being on drugs anymore. They know it's Post-Traumatic Stress, and they can take steps to help you."

Irma was silent for a moment, content to feel the strength of her best friend. She needed to rely on that strength now more than ever. Her tormenter may be dead, but the torment hadn't ceased. Irma wasn't sure it ever truly would, but perhaps she could learn to quiet it somewhat. As long as she had Hay Lin, she felt she had a chance.

But there was something else bothering her.

"Hay Lin...I'm scared. What's going to happen to me now?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Council. They won't just let this go. What are they going to do to me?"

"I don't know Irma, I don't know. But I'm not going to let them railroad you."

At this moment, Irma realized things had turned around. All her life, Irma had played the part of protector. When people had picked on Hay Lin in school, Irma had been there to shove them away. When Hay Lin had been scared of the dark as a child, Irma had been there to fight the demons. When Hay Lin had argued with her parents, Irma had been there to wipe away the tears. Now things had changed and Hay Lin was trying to protect Irma from her own demons. Irma had never felt she needed protection from anything...until now. She realized after always being there for Hay Lin, that she needed to let Hay Lin be there for her now.

"You won't let them send me away will you?" Irma asked, shaking slightly. "I don't want to be locked up for the rest of my life."

"Shh. I won't let them hurt you," Hay Lin whispered. "It will be alright. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. I promise."

"Thank you, Hay-Hay, thank you. I can't get through this without you."

"That's why I'm right here. It's what friends are for."

"Where are the others?" Irma asked.

"Oh who knows? I told them I wanted to talk to you alone, so they left. But they told me that Elyon's awake and she's going to be okay."

"Elyon's alright?" Irma enthused. "That is good news."

Hay Lin nodded with a smile. "What say we blow this joint and go see her?"

"I think I would like that," Irma replied.

With that, both Guardians shot to the surface of the pool. They were just climbing out when Luba entered the Chamber. She looked grim.

"Luba?" Hay Lin was surprised to see the big cat. "What's up?"

"The Council is ready for the Water Guardian. You both must come with me now."

–

**And there's Chapter 18. I hope everyone liked it, but if not, that's okay too. Let me know what you think, good, bad, or ugly. Thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello all! Glad to see everybody. No, this is not a good time to point out that I can't actually "see" any of you. First let me thank my reviewers:**

**XV-Dragon (Once again, first off the block. Thanks for your loyalty.); Toolazytomakeanaccount (Hehe...thanks for the compliments); Shocklance (Things are going to get hairy, yes); Nemrut (Still not offended, my friend. Thank you for having the balls to call it like you see it.); Nightroad (Always seeing between the lines, my friend. Thank you for bringing up the moral conundrum.); Wolfgurl211 (You have been a loyal reader, my friend. Thank you for the compliments.); Philip Gipson (I was hoping you would pick up on the Voltron thing. I put it in there just for you.); Lost Prince (Thank you for the PM. You will see how close you came in a few minutes. Hug your mom for me...yes, go on...give her a big hug!); Nerd4eva (Have I ever told you I like your sig a lot? LOL...Nerds Unite! Anyway, thanks for your loyalty); Starwin (My friend I look forward to your reviews because they make me a better writer. I am not offended nor do I think you were harsh. I thank you for your opinions in whatever arena.); Cartoonloverfan101 (THANK YOU for calling me young! LOL...and thank you for the compliments.); AJ (Glad you and your girls liked the chappie); DayDreamer9 (Irma's been through a lot, true. Would I put her through more? You didn't even think about that when you answered, "YES!" Thanks for sticking with me.); Cal (Hey, hey, welcome to the Pit! Thanks for your compliments; they really make my day.); Dawntodark (Welcome, welcome! I don't think we've met officially. So welcome! Thank you for your compliments; they warm my heart...they do.).**

**Thank you all for reviewing. Your thoughts and suggestions make me a better writer and make me want to continue writing.**

**Now, without further ado, may I present:**

**Chapter 19**

Irma and Hay Lin followed Luba somberly. Neither Guardian knew exactly what to expect, but they both felt trepidation at what was to come.

Irma, for one, harbored no illusions that the Council would simply let her off. She had committed the most heinous crime possible, and she had done it on purpose. Her friends could argue until they were blue in the face that she had done it to protect everyone, but Irma knew better. Protection and self-preservation had not been forefront in her mind when she had killed Nerissa, and Irma knew it.

She glanced sidelong at Hay Lin, walking beside her. She looked somehow older, and her beautiful, innocent face had taken on a steely expression. It hurt Irma to see her friend's face set like that, for she knew she was the cause. Hay Lin had been forced into a role she wasn't used to playing...that of Irma's protector. How the Water Witch wished she could take it all back; then Hay Lin would still be the happy-go-lucky kid she had always been.

But the past was unchangeable, and no matter how badly she wished it, Irma could not alter it.

Hay Lin felt eyes upon her and glanced at Irma. Their eyes met and she graced her friend with a sideways grin. Irma tried to smile back, but the smile never quite reached her haunted blue eyes. Hay Lin wasn't sure she knew what Irma was thinking, but she could almost taste her fear. She had a feeling Irma would docilely accept whatever punishment the Council handed out; after all, a few minutes ago, Irma had wanted to kill herself. Well, Hay Lin was not about to let anything happen to her friend...not without a fight.

Luba stalked ahead of the Guardians lost in her own thoughts. Her cat ears had picked up Irma's final words to Nerissa, and she understood the implications. She knew if called upon to testify that she would have to give witness to what she had heard. She couldn't lie, for the Oracle would surely know. Lying for the Water Guardian couldn't help, anyway. She would have to face her punishment and there was little Luba could do to help.

The cat felt slightly angered by the whole incident. She did not feel any remorse for Nerissa, but she mourned the death of the Water Guardian's innocence. Part of her still believed the Oracle and the Council could have prevented some of it had they chosen to act sooner.

It was dumb luck that had allowed Nerissa to escape her prison on Mount Thanos, but Luba felt the Oracle should have sensed it somehow. He should have known the Mage was an imposter, and that she would harm the Guardians. He should have made a greater effort to destroy the rogue Keeper when she last attacked Candracar.

Luba stopped herself then, as she could feel the anger beginning to boil inside her. Blaming the Oracle and the Council was misplaced. The blame lay entirely with Nerissa, alone. It had been she who had planned to capture and torture the Water Guardian. It had been she who had planned to use the girl to capture the heart of Candracar. It had been she who had sought vengeance on a teenager for the sole purpose of making her hurt.

All in all, Luba couldn't blame the young Guardian for killing Nerissa. Her mind certainly wasn't right, and she couldn't possibly be held accountable for her actions in this kind of situation.

The big cat realized she was trying to convince herself, so she stopped her inner musings. It wasn't healthy for her to think too much, anyway.

The trio approached the doors to the Central Chamber. They stood closed like sentries. Luba pushed the heavy, rose-colored doors open and stood aside. Her paw indicated the two Guardians should enter.

Irma looked the cat in the eyes and swallowed hard.

"Luba, what's going to happen?"

The Caretaker bowed her head slightly. "There will be a trial to decide what, if any, punishment is appropriate for your crime."

"And who exactly decides this punishment?"

"The Council will confer and decide together."

Irma looked at Hay Lin, and for the first time, felt a glimmer of hope. Surely Halinor and Yan Lin would see her side of things.

She looked back at Luba. "Does it have to be unanimous?"

"I do not know, Guardian. There has been only one other trial before. The decision then was unanimous to imprison Nerissa. There is little precedent for this kind of incident."

Irma frowned but nodded. She turned to her less-hairy friend and grasped her hand.

"I'm ready to face this. Are you with me?"

Hay Lin squeezed her friend's hand and nodded. She didn't trust her voice, so she said nothing, but did offer a reassuring smile.

Irma was somewhat confused by Hay Lin's lack of a verbal response, but appreciated the smile. She release her friend's hand and strode into the Chamber.

Elyon and the other Guardians were already waiting at the back of the room. Will and Taranee looked nervous, but Cornelia had the same cocky, superior look she always wore. Irma tried to draw strength from her expression as she approached her friends.

"How are you doing?" Will asked quietly.

Irma nodded. "Not bad. A little nervous."

"Don't sweat it," Cornelia said. "We all know that hag got what she deserved. You just did what the old people should have done in the first place."

"You think I was right to kill someone?"

"Not just someone, shrimp. Nerissa. Yeah, I think you were right to kill Nerissa," Cornelia replied.

Irma's heart warmed so much, she couldn't even take offense to being called a shrimp. To have someone so unaffected by what she had done was gratifying...and a little frightening. Irma wasn't sure anyone should be so nonchalant about taking human life. Nevertheless, it felt good to know someone was completely on her side without any misgivings.

The massive doors banged shut and Luba walked towards the group of Guardians. She addressed Irma.

"Be strong, cubling. Do not be intimidated and speak only the truth, for lying will only make things worse for you."

"I don't need to lie, Luba," Irma replied quietly. "I'm ready to accept whatever the Council hands down."

"Now what kind of defeatist attitude is that?" Cornelia asked harshly.

"It's not defeatist, Corny, it's realistic. I killed someone. I deserve what I get."

"Whatever. It's a classic case of self-defense. You should get off scott-free."

Irma opened her mouth to reply when she heard the Oracle clap his hands. She swallowed and took a last look at her friends before turning to face the Council. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced at Hay Lin. Her friend nodded grimly, her features set with determination.

"I would be honored to act as your Defender," Luba said suddenly.

Irma was caught off guard. "Defender? You mean, like my lawyer?"

The cat nodded. "The Accused requires a Defender. Will you allow me to play that role for you?"

Irma's heart warmed. She turned to Hay Lin. "What do you think? Should I let ol' Fluffy be Perry Mason?"

Hay Lin grinned slightly. "Sure. She probably knows what she's doing."

"Then my lawyer you shall be," Irma said to Luba.

Luba nodded and stepped forward, taking Irma by the arm as she did so. She led the Guardian to the center of the Chamber.

"Hey, Irma," Cornelia hissed. "Don't call me Corny."

Irma grinned and allowed Luba to drag her along.

"Honorable Council of Candracar," Luba began, "it is by your summons that the Water Guardian presents herself for judgment."

"Then present her and let her be judged," Tibor intoned.

Luba turned her head to Irma and nodded. The young Guardian swallowed again and stepped forward.

"Um...hi. I'm Irma, and I'm here. I'm ready for this judgment thing...yeah."

"Then let us begin," Tibor said. "First, we must make a change to your Defender. Luba shall not be allowed to act in this capacity."

Luba inclined her head sharply. "Why?" she growled angrily.

The Oracle spoke up. "Because, my dear friend, you are once again a member of this Council."

Luba's eyes went wide, and she turned to Irma. "I did not expect this."

"Yeah, but this is a good thing, isn't it? It means they forgive you and you get your old job back."

"Yes, but it also means I cannot act as your Defender. Council members can not defend the Accused."

"Then it looks like I'm on my own," Irma whispered, casting her eyes to the floor.

Luba shook her head and addressed the Council again. "I decline this honor, noble ones. I have a duty I am sworn to perform, and I cannot, in good conscience, allow it to wane."

The Oracle raised an eyebrow. "Your heart is pure, noble friend, but I must impress upon you that this is not a request. You are, once more, a member of the Council. It has been completed and your standing is thus. You may not defend the Guardian."

"Oracle, no," Luba pleaded. "If not I, then who shall defend her?"

"A fellow Guardian may defend Irma," Halinor answered. "If there is someone willing, let them step forward."

Irma didn't want to pressure anyone, so she kept her eyes pointed at the floor. She thought sure, however, that someone would step forward.

Cornelia started forward, but was stopped by Hay Lin's outstretched arm. The smallest Guardian moved to stand beside Irma and addressed the Council.

"I'll defend her," she said firmly.

Irma looked gratefully at Hay Lin. The Asian girl whispered, "I won't let you go without a fight."

"Thank you," Irma whispered back, a tear coming to her eye. She wiped it away swiftly and faced the Council.

Luba nodded and walked slowly to join the other Council Members. She took a place next to Yan Lin and noticed the other was shaking slightly.

"Are you alright, honorable one?" Luba asked quietly.

"I am nervous, Luba. I wish this did not have to be done."

"It will be alright; you will see," Luba replied gruffly.

"I hope so," Yan Lin replied nervously.

"Let it be known the Air Guardian shall act as the Accused's Defender," Tibor intoned.

"The Accused has a name, you know," Cornelia shouted.

Tibor was about to reply when the Oracle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Guardian, it is good that you care for your friend, but there are customs that must be observed. Hereafter, the Water Guardian is to be referred to as the Accused, and the Air Guardian shall be Defender."

"Congratulations," Irma muttered to Hay Lin.

"Try to be serious, Irma," Hay Lin hissed.

"Sorry..."

"The charges stand thus," the Oracle continued. "The Accused has committed an act of life-taking. It is the purpose of this tribunal to discover the motives behind this act and to decide what, if any, punishments should be dispensed. Tibor shall act as Accuser, I shall act as judge, and the Council Members shall act as jury."

The Oracle turned to his protector. "Tibor, please commence this trial."

The big bodyguard wasted no time. "It is the opinion of this Council that you did take a life in cold blood, that you did purposefully end said life, and that you do show no remorse for what you have done."

The Oracle turned to Hay Lin and nodded. Hay Lin remained motionless and raised an eyebrow.

_You're supposed to rebut, _Taranee's voice said.

_What does my butt have to do with this?_

_No, no...you're supposed to make a counter-argument. Tell the Council what you think happened._

_Oh. Okay, I get it._

Hay Lin swallowed and thought carefully about her next statements. "I'm not the smartest person in this room, but I know a little something about remorse. I can say, for sure, that Irma, I mean the Accused, is remorseful. And I have to say that I don't think it's the opinion of the entire Council that Irma...I mean the Accused...is a murderer. I think it's just _your_ opinion, Tibor, and that you're not allowed to speak for the entire Council."

"Semantics," Tibor growled.

"Well, semantics could cost a young woman her life, so let's try to stick to the facts from now on, okay?"

"Objection sustained," the Oracle said quietly.

Tibor glowered but continued. "The Accused stands before us a cold-blooded killer. She did willingly take the life of her enemy in payment for the horrors delivered upon her by said enemy. She did also take this life in a fit of uncontrolled rage that shows her mental instability. Furthermore, the Accused did attempt to murder other members of the victims entourage with powers she was unable to control. I shall show she did these things with the sole intent to kill."

Hay Lin was shocked by the unabashed anger she heard in Tibor's voice. He seemed to genuinely believe what he was saying. All the big words he used; Hay Lin didn't understand what some of them meant. She suddenly felt so inadequate; but she knew she had to help Irma.

Hay Lin thought carefully for a few moments before beginning to speak. "We do stand here today with the Accused being charged with a terrible, terrible thing. Murder is nothing to shake a stick at, but is it sometimes justified? It is my opinion that Nerissa would not have honored her agreement to stay away from all of us, and Irma did the only thing she could have done to protect herself and everyone she loves. This uncontrollable rage was caused by the other powers she received from us. It wasn't her fault."

"Are you saying, Defender, that the Accused should be found not guilty because her mental state was altered?" Tibor asked.

"Think about it for a second," Hay Lin answered. "Think about all the tortures Irma went through. Not just the beatings, but also the mental stuff, too. Her mind has been altered for weeks, now; and it's Nerissa's doing. To say Irma was in her right mind when the duel occurred is like saying thunder doesn't accompany lightning. It's ludicrous."

Tibor spoke quietly. "The Accused has never spoken, publicly, to this Council about her ordeal. How are we to know what she endured? I believe it is time for her give testimony about this time."

Irma's eyes went wide and her head snapped towards Hay Lin. "No, Hay Lin, no. I can't do that. Please, you can't let them make me testify to that."

Hay Lin nodded, shocked at the naked fear she saw in her friend's eyes. "I fail to see what good that would do."

"It would paint a picture as to why her mental state was so altered, as you claim it was. Without testimony from the Accused about her own mental state and how it came to be, your words are just, pardon the pun, empty air."

Hay Lin set her jaw and fought the urge to drill Tibor with a whirlwind. "You saw the aftermath. She was dying, and would have died outright, if not for her Chamber. Why do you need the details?"

"To say she was dying is simply not enough of a picture for this Council. To have one's mental state altered so completely as to commit murder takes quite the ordeal. We need to hear it in its entirety."

Hay Lin opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by the Oracle. He held up his hand. "I agree with Tibor. We need to hear this testimony from the Accused."

"Hay Lin, no..." Irma pleaded.

"Why do you need to hear it? Can't you see this is distressing Irma?" Hay Lin pleaded.

"The Accused's distress is not this Council's concern," Tibor said. "She killed someone. She _should_ feel some distress."

"Please, Guardian," the Oracle said. "This ruling has been made. You must recount your ordeal at the hands of Nerissa for this Council or forfeit your defense."

Hay Lin turned to her friend. "I'm sorry, Irma."

Irma let out a small, strangled noise, and tried to smile at her Defender. "It's okay, Hay-Hay. You did your best. I'll just have to suck it up."

And with that, Irma faced the Oracle and began to recount the brutal tortures at the hands of Nerissa's underlings. She recited her testimony with a horrifying flatness to her voice, as if she was detached from her body. To Hay Lin, it seemed like she was doing nothing more than reading a script.

Then Irma began to tell of the lightning attacks and how they had hurt her more than any of the beatings or cuttings. She told of how she wanted to die, of how she had begged for mercy and for death.

Irma then recounted the mental tortures she had endured. From the injuries that the Mage's spell had caused, to the cases of mistaken identities when she had attacked Martin and the Lurdens at Luba's obstacle course. How she had thought they were Frost coming to hurt her again.

She recited the agonies of slowly losing her mind. How she felt dirty with Nerissa inside her head. After some hesitation, she even testified of the voices she used to hear inside her head. A collective gasp went up from Council Members and Guardians when Irma said this.

"She was inside my head, always whispering and talking. She never left me alone. It wasn't enough to beat me, cut me, burn me, fry me. She mind-raped me repeatedly. Yes, that bitch _raped_ me more than once. She tried to turn my own family against me, and she made me wish to die."

Irma paused then and finally allowed tears to flow down her cheeks. "Are you happy now, Tibor?" she spat bitterly. "Are you satisfied with my testimony?"

Tibor stood motionless and for a moment did not reply. The Chamber was deathly quiet.

"Yes, Guardian, I am satisfied. Thank you."

Irma curled her lip and snarled under her breath. She turned her eyes to the floor and wept quietly.

"Can we stop this now?" Hay Lin demanded. "Has the Accused's mental state been sufficiently dissected? Or perhaps you would like to call Frost back here and have him tell you how he tried to pull her wings off with his bare hands?"

_Easy, Hay Lin. You don't want to turn the Council against you._

_I'm trying, Taranee, but right now I'm seeing red._

Tibor swallowed hard and turned to the Oracle. "I would like to call one witness, if I may."

The Oracle nodded and Tibor turned to Luba.

"Luba, I call upon you to testify before this tribunal."

Luba closed her eyes and sighed quietly. She was hoping this would not happen. As much as she wished not to testify, she knew she had no choice.

"Ask your questions, Tibor," Luba said, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"We all saw the Accused lean down and whisper to the victim. With your feline hearing, it is likely you heard what was said. Please tell us what you know."

Tibor was smart, Luba had to give him that. She was hoping that after the emotionally charged testimony of the Water Guardian, that Tibor would simply withdraw and allow deliberations to begin.

But that was not to be.

"I heard what she said, yes," Luba answered.

After a pregnant pause, Tibor finally prompted the witness. "And?"

Hanging her head in defeat, Luba replied slowly. "She said...'I lied.'"

Tibor's eyes went wide and Will and Taranee looked at each other. Cornelia smirked, and Halinor looked perplexed. Only Yan Lin didn't seem surprised. Even the Oracle hung his head in sadness.

Tibor turned back to Irma and Hay Lin. "Do you, Accused, deny this statement?"

Irma closed her eyes. She couldn't lie, but she knew this was the dagger to the heart she had been fearing.

"No, I do not deny that statement. What's more, Hay Lin heard it, too. That's why she went so berserk just before I killed Nerissa."

"Irma, what are you doing?" Hay Lin gasped.

"Telling the truth. I need to tell the truth, Hay Lin. I don't feel right not saying _everything. _It's like lying if I leave something out just to protect myself. I won't do it."

Hay Lin groaned and scrubbed her face with her hand. She didn't want to, but she followed her friend's lead.

"That's true. I did hear it, too."

Tibor nodded and turned to the Oracle. "I have nothing further."

"Defender? Have you anything you wish to say, or witnesses you wish to call?" the Oracle asked.

Hay Lin thought for a moment, then made a decision. "Yes. I wish to call all of the Guardians and Elyon as character witnesses. I wish to call Luba, Halinor, and Yan Lin as witnesses, as well."

"Then let it be done," the Oracle said.

For the next hour, the Guardians recounted the best times they had had with Irma. They told of her heart and her courage. They testified of her unwillingness to break under torture just to protect her friends from walking into an ambush. They explained how she had suffered in silence when her parents had thought she was taking drugs just to protect the secret of the Guardians.

"She died to protect us from Nerissa," Taranee said.

"She's the bravest person I know," Will testified.

"She would rather take her parents' wrath than betray our secret," Cornelia said.

"She helped save my life," Elyon testified. "She has a great heart."

Then Yan Lin testified of the caring young woman Irma was. How she had such tender feelings for her daughter, and how she had always been Hay Lin's protector.

Next, Luba talked of Irma's strength and devotion to her duties. How she had refused to give up even when her mind was betraying her. Then she spoke of how containing the awesome power of all the Aurameres was impossible for a mentally-altered being.

"It would be a great difficulty for someone of strong, sound mind. The Water Guardian was neither strong of mind, nor sound of mind when she was given those powers."

The most compelling testimony came from Halinor. The former Guardian testified how Irma had nearly killed Raythor during Nerissa's attack on Candracar...and how she had stopped short at Halinor's pleading.

"She's not a cold-blooded killer," Halinor intoned. "She gave herself up to death rather than destroy a life."

Finally, Hay Lin called herself to the proverbial stand.

"I witnessed the Accused trying everything she could to hurt herself because of what she did. If her Chamber hadn't stopped her, I believe she would have found a way to kill herself. She was physically sick by the realization of her actions. To say she has no remorse is ridiculous."

Finally after an hour, the testimonies were finished. Tibor, looking solemn and subdued, addressed the Council.

"We have heard much testimony as to the character of the Accused. We have heard testimony as to her mental state at the time of the killing. We have had many witnesses testify to the Accused's easy-going nature under normal circumstances. But these circumstances are far from normal. It is my opinion, still, that the Accused did willingly take a life with full knowledge of what she was doing."

_Hay Lin, this is your last chance to leave the Council with a good picture of Irma. Don't blow it._

Had Hay Lin not heard the slight twinge of laughter in Taranee's "voice," she might have been offended. Instead, she felt bolstered.

"Irma killed someone, that can't be denied. Yes, it may seem like murder, but there are extenuating circumstances. Was she in her right mind when it happened? All the tortures she was forced to endure, the mental traumas, the powers of all the Guardians simultaneously. All of these things served to damage Irma's mind so severely, it is my opinion that she didn't truly understand the consequences of her actions. This must be taken into account when you make your decisions."

After a short pause, the Oracle spoke. "Council Members, please begin your deliberations. Guardians, Accused, Defender, Queen Elyon, please depart this Chamber until such deliberations are completed. I will send Luba to retrieve you when the Council has finished."

The Guardians and Elyon filed out of the Central Chamber and headed for the Elemental Chamber of Water. Everyone figured Irma would feel most comfortable there, and since she was the one on trial, they should defer to her.

No one spoke as they walked the silver halls. When they finally entered the Chamber of Water, the mood was solemn and subdued, indeed. Irma went directly to the pool and dove right in. The other Guardians and Elyon sat near the side of the pool, and removed their boots. Then they dangled their stocking feet in the water.

After a few minutes, Irma surfaced and swam slowly to her friends.

She looked at each pair of eyes in turn and was disturbed by what she saw there. She saw defeat.

"Somebody say something," Elyon finally prompted. "The silence is killing me."

But nobody seemed to have the capacity to speak. Instead all eyes found the polished floor very interesting.

"Alright, fine," Elyon said, "I'll say it. Hay Lin...the insanity defense?"

"What choice did I have?" Hay Lin said flatly. "After Luba's testimony, everyone knew Irma murdered Nerissa."

"Do you have to put it that way?" Cornelia said.

"Should we lie about it? We all have to get used to it, guys."

"Yeah but you could have-"

"No, Cornelia, Hay Lin's right," Irma said. "I murdered Nerissa because I wanted that bitch dead. It's true...it's all true."

Again silence descended like a pall. The mood was such that they could have been attending a funeral.

"Well no matter what, Irma, you're still my friend," Elyon said. "Nerissa tried to kill us both, and for that, she deserved to die."

"Thanks, Elyon," Irma replied.

"We're all with you, Irma," Will said quietly.

"Yeah, we won't abandon you," Taranee spoke up.

Irma tried to smile, but she felt like this was the last day of her life. She appreciated the support of her friends, but she just couldn't be happy...not now.

"Can I tell you guys something?"

"Haven't you learned by now that you can tell us anything?" Will replied.

"Yeah, but this is kinda...I don't know...kinda big."

"Bigger than murdering the Wicked Bitch of the West?" Cornelia asked.

"Cornelia!" Taranee raged.

"What, I'm just saying..."

"Yeah, I think it's bigger than murdering Nerissa."

"Just take your time and tell us when you're ready," Will said.

Irma took a deep breath. "I don't feel safe unless I'm in the water. I think I'm addicted to it. It's become like a drug to me. I need it all the time."

The Guardians exchanged looks, but said nothing.

"I make it rain all the time when I have to walk to school alone. I ditch my homework because I'm always in the tub. When I'm not in the water, all I can think about is how I'm going to get back in. I don't know what to do...it rules my life."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "So you like the water. How is this a bad thing?"

"Because I can't control myself. I _need_ to be in the water. If it weren't for my powers over water, my affinity for it, I don't know what I would do."

"Well I think we need to start having more sleep-overs," Will said. "It's clear you need us still, and we want to be there for you."

Hay Lin nodded. "I agree. We need to spend more time with you."

"But how can you feel safe around me? I'm mentally unstable, remember?"

"You've always been mental," Cornelia said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "That's not going to start scaring us now."

"I'm serious, you guys. What if I try to harm one of you?"

"You won't," Taranee said. "And if you do, I'll just scream really loud."

"Yeah, she'll just pretend she saw a big, scary butterfly. That should do it," Cornelia zinged.

Even Irma had to laugh at that. The mood had just been lightened.

"Are you serious, Will?" Irma asked quietly. "Do you really still want to be with me even after what I've done?"

"Friends don't let friends battle their demons alone. Whatever you need, we're here."

Irma reached up and hugged her leader, and it wasn't long before the entire group joined in.

"Last one in is a rotten egg," Irma said.

"What?" Will asked.

"Oh no, don't you dare!" Taranee said, trying to pull away. But she was too late. Irma shifted her weight and toppled the entire group into the pool.

Amid screeches and playful curses, the water fight began.

An hour later they were still playing, when the Chamber doors opened. Luba strode inside and waited politely. Finally Cornelia noticed her presence.

"You guys, stop. It's Luba."

The play-fighting ceased and all eyes turned to the Caretaker.

"A decision has been made. Come with me."

The Guardians and Elyon pulled themselves out of the pool and looked at each other with trepidation. Irma used her powers to siphon off the water, and soon everyone was dry. Then the troop slowly followed Luba out of the Elemental Chamber.

As they approached the Central Chamber, Hay Lin squeezed Irma's hand. Irma squeezed back and hoped it wouldn't be the last time.

The heavy doors opened and the group filed in. The Guardians and Elyon resumed their previous positions at the back of the Chamber, while Luba rejoined the Council Members.

"Accused and Defender, please step forward," the Oracle said.

Irma and Hay Lin moved to the center of the Chamber. Each young woman held her breath.

"This tribunal has found you not guilty of murder, Water Guardian," the Oracle said quietly. "They recommended a full pardon in light of what you had to endure. The decision was unanimous."

A collective cheer went up from the back of the Chamber as the Guardians and Elyon exchanged hi-fives and hugs.

The Oracle held up his hand.

"However, I am the judge of this tribunal, and as such, I have the final word."

The air immediately went out of the celebration. Even the heads of the Council Members snapped towards the Oracle. Everyone held their breath.

The Oracle continued. "It is my judgment that you shall remain not guilty of the murder of Nerissa due to temporary insanity. However, it is also my judgment that you are, at the moment, and by your own admission, mentally unstable. As such, I find you to be a danger to yourself and to the Guardians."

Irma sank slowly to her knees. Somehow she knew what was coming.

"Therefore, Irma Lair, I strip you of your powers over water, and remove you from your position as Water Guardian."

"No," Irma whispered. "Please, don't do this."

"It has been spoken, so let it be done."

With that, the Oracle clapped his hands once. The sound echoed through the Chamber and Irma felt her chest begin to constrict. Her hand flew to her chest and she gasped. A brilliant blue light filled the Chamber then gradually began to recede. Irma cried out in frustration and pain as her powers were forcibly sucked from her.

Hay Lin grabbed her friend's shoulders, her support the only thing she could offer now. Finally the blue light receded completely and the Chamber resumed it's normal, silvery hue. Irma, on her hands and knees, wept silently. She had resumed her human form.

The Guardians rushed forward and knelt by their friend. Elyon approached the Oracle. Tibor moved instinctively towards his charge.

"How could you do this? You may as well have killed her!" Elyon shrieked.

"She is not in a mind correct enough to fulfill her duties as a Guardian of the veil," the Oracle said sadly. "This was not a decision I came to lightly. A life has been taken because of this mental instability and I worry for the Guardian's well-being should she be forced to remain in her capacity as Guardian."

"Oh you worry for her well-being, do you?" Elyon challenged. "Well I worry more for her now than I did five minutes ago. And what's more, I worry for the entire universe."

"I suggest you watch your tongue, Your Highness," Tibor said dangerously.

"How about you come here and watch it for me!"

"Enough!" the Oracle shouted. "The decision has been made. I suggest you return to your homes now. Irma's parents are no doubt worried for her."

Even Elyon was not hot enough to challenge the Oracle. She knew it would be foolish...at least for now.

"This isn't over," she said as she rejoined the group surrounding Irma.

"Come on, Irma," Hay Lin soothed. "We should get you home."

Irma clung to Hay Lin's neck like a lifeline. "I can't breathe. I can't breathe."

"Take slow, deep breaths, Irma," Cornelia said softly. "Just concentrate on breathing right now."

Irma tried to do as instructed and found that it actually worked. With help from Hay Lin and Taranee, Irma struggled to her feet. Her friends continued to support her, as Will opened a fold to Shell Cave. Cornelia went through first, followed by Taranee and Hay Lin, Irma supported between them. Elyon went next, her anger still bubbling. Will started towards the fold, then stopped. She turned back to the Oracle.

"We'll talk about this later," she said quietly. There was a dangerous edge to her voice.

Then she turned and stepped through the fold.

–

**And there it is, Chapter 19. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review for me, should you feel so inclined. Cheers!**


	20. Epilogue

**Hello everyone, and welcome. I wish to thank all of my reviewers for the last chapter.**

**XV-Dragon (You're always first, man. LOL. Thank you for being a loyal supporter.); Cartoonloverfan101 (Hey you winks. I will set up an appointment with the Oracle and let him know he's being a jerk.); Nemrut (Think I may have touched a nerve, here. I'm sorry if I offended or hurt you. I loved your "arguments;" they made me think. Thank you for sticking with me.); Nightroad (You make some very compelling points, as always. Thank you for planting little thoughts in my head.); Nerd4eva (Yay for nerds!! I'm a dork, too. And I'm not sure I've ever like Tibor, to be honest...hmm. Typecasting much?); Lost Prince (Good job sneaking up on mom! Tell her I love her. Thanks for your thoughts.); Dawntodark (Hay Lin the Defender...I like it, too. I also like your sig, by the way. Thanks for reading.); Shocklance (Thank you for such compliments. The edge of your seat? Wow...thank you. Wonder how the Council will live this one down...); Wolfgurl211 (Hehe...I love the emotion behind your review. Thank you for making me smile.); Darev (I've missed you; glad to see you back. So many questions, I wonder where to start. But they did make me ponder, and I'm hoping to continue the saga. Thanks for sticking with me.); DayDreamer9 (Thank you for another review and for making me smile. I loved the Caps Lock part of your review; it made me laugh.); Toolazytomakeanaccount (Hmm...I wonder what Will's going to do, too. LOL. Thanks for your thoughts); Philip Gipson (Kanye West...he's quite the character isn't he...Thank you for another review, and for the emails you send me. How is your trailer coming?); Starwin (Ah, my friend. I always smile when I see your reviews because they let me know what I'm doing right and what I should improve. I have no idea what hands clapping over the internet sounds like, but I thank you for the applause. Thank you also for being honest and letting me know what doesn't work. I take these thoughts to heart.)**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I would also like to thank my two past editors AzhureTigress and Visigoth29527. Even though you two no longer serve in this capacity, you helped me immensely and for that I thank you. WPL and WPV could not have been without your efforts. So thank you both.**

**Now without further ado, may I present:**

**Epilogue**

_Dear Diary,_

_I haven't written in a long time; in fact I'm not even sure why I keep you anymore. But I have to get my feelings out somehow, and I don't know how else to do it. _

_I can't talk to my mom; how could she possibly understand what I'm going through? There are so many pressures that come with being the leader of the Guardians, and these past months have been worse than ever. I'm afraid my schoolwork is suffering so badly that mom will forbid me to see my friends. It's not something I ever wanted, and now I feel trapped._

_Cornelia seems to take all of this in stride. She's cool as ever and doesn't seem affected by the pressures of defending the universe. She manages to pull down good grades and still remain pretty normal in spite of what's been happening. Still, I know it's all an act. She's as frazzled as the rest of us; she just refuses to show it._

_Taranee always gets by; I'm really jealous of how easily everything comes to her. Without her we would be in real trouble. Her brains have gotten us out of so many messes, I can't even begin to count them. She should be leader...not me. She's always so supportive of me, though...whether I deserve it or not. She's doing her best to hold all of us together, and I can see how tired it's making her. Just yesterday, she missed four questions on Collins' pop quiz. She never misses anything on a quiz. She's always perfect. She's disappointed with herself; I can see it even though she tries to hide it. _

_Hay Lin is a wreck. She looks tired and beat; like a neglected cat. Can't say I really blame her...look what's happened? But still, I'm really worried about her. I don't think she's sleeping, and I know she's losing weight. She's not her usual cheerful self anymore. It's like somebody drew a curtain over the real Hay Lin and gave us a pretender instead. Honestly, her Astral Drop has more life than she does. But I don't know what to do to help her. I feel as helpless as everyone else._

_Then there's Irma. She's still in the hospital, and has been for a week, now. We go see her every chance we get, but sometimes I wonder why we do. She doesn't even know we're there. All she does is lie in her bed in a fetal position. Her eyes are wide open, but there's nothing behind them. The doctors called it catatonia and started pumping her full of all kinds of drugs I can't even pronounce. Taranee seems to know what they are, but she knows everything, so I'm not surprised. _

_I looked up catatonia on the internet, and it's not good. It says the disorder is commonly associated with schizophrenia. I looked that up, too, and it says that hallucinations are a symptom. Irma said she's been hearing voices in her head...could it be her post-traumatic stress is developing into something else? _

_I don't know how long Irma will be this way, but I guess people can die from this if they're not treated. Taranee keeps telling me that's not going to happen, and I want so badly to believe her. Guess I've become somewhat of a pessimist given all the crap that's happened lately. I mean, how much can one kid really endure? If Irma gets through this, what kind of person are we going to see? I have a terrible feeling she won't ever be the same._

_I heard a doctor telling Mr. Lair about a place called Heatherfield Hills. Cornelia has a grandmother there. Apparently, she has Alzheimer's and requires constant care. I don't think Mr. Lair was considering it, but what if that's Irma's future? Some kind of group home for people who can't care for themselves. _

_I never realized how much we all depend on Irma to keep things light and happy. Even Hay Lin feeds off that energy, and it keeps her happy, too. Now it's gone and it's affecting everybody. I feel like I should do something, say something, but what? Everyone looks to me to make this all better and I'm as clueless as they come. These are the kinds of things adults are supposed to handle; what hope do I have of making this better?_

_I have to admit I feel some anger towards the Council; especially the Oracle. He did this to Irma, and I want to know why. He didn't offer any explanation; just took her powers and sent her away. Well, Irma's not a stray dog and I won't let anybody treat her as such. Tomorrow is Saturday and I intend to pay a visit to Candracar. I want answers, and I'm going to get them._

_And yet, a part of me wonders how I can be angry with the Oracle when all of this is my fault. I let Nerissa take Irma. I didn't find her fast enough to stop them from torturing her. I gave the command to help the Mage cast that horrible spell on her. I almost got us all killed in the aviary because I wasn't prepared. _

_I'm the one that made the decision to bring Irma back...to put her through the Joining._

_What if Cornelia was right? Maybe I should have let Irma go. I've always thought it was better to live than to die, but now I know there are worse things than death. Did I do it for Irma? Or did I do it for me? Was I really trying to help her? Or was I selfish? These questions run through my mind and keep me awake at night. _

_I feel like I'm slowly losing it. Even my mom has noticed something's different. She keeps nagging me about my grades, and she wonders why I keep to myself all the time. I guess it's because I don't want her to see my crying. I bear such a heavy burden, and I'm ashamed that I'm thinking about myself at a time when one of my best friends needs me. I'm just so frustrated because I don't know what to do!_

_One thing I do know...I can't let the others know what's happening to me. _

_I'm scared, and I feel so alone. Not even Taranee can take away my inner pain. She tries as best she can to buoy me up, but she falls short every time. As a telepath, I'm sure she must know how I really feel; but then again, she's pretty careful about invading someone else's mind. All I know is I can't handle this myself, and I need help. But who do I run to?_

_Well it's getting late and I feel really tired. Not sleepy...just tired. I suppose I should try to sleep, but I'm not looking forward to it. It's hard to block out the nightmares. But I have a have a big day tomorrow, so I guess I should try._

_Confronting the Oracle is something I feel I have to do alone. I know Elyon is pretty upset by all this, and she'll probably be mad when she finds out, but I really feel this needs to be leader to leader. If we're going to be the agents of Candracar, then the representative of Candracar should be forced to answer for what he's done. Tomorrow is D-Day for the Oracle._

_I guess I'll say goodnight now. Hopefully my demons will let me sleep. _

–

**And that's it for What Price Vengeance. Please let me know your thoughts and feelings.**

I want to take a moment to thank everyone for reading and for supporting me. Your thoughts and suggestions have made me a better writer, and have given me motivation to continue this saga. So I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.


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